Love is only imagination
by Jounah
Summary: AU "Love is only a figment of your imagination." "If I prove it wrong," she stared at him seriously, "will you fall in love with me?" SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! It's another Sakura/Sasuke fic, but this time it's not a one-shot. I'll try not to rush it because I want some sasusaku, but I can't guarantee. Sorry if my characters are OOC. Tell me if you think they are. I think they are at least. If you review, thanks! It's all appreciated and makes me so HAPPY!  Anyways, hope you enjoy my fic! **

**Disclaimer (for this chapter and following): I don't own any of the Naruto characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. **

"Mr. Uchiha, look this way please!" A man's voice yelled above all the others. Camera flashes were everywhere, reporters blabbing away to their cameras. All this activity was because of the Sasuke Uchiha, the youngest Uchiha son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha was the hottest and most wanted actor in the world, thanks to his raven black hair and penetrating onyx eyes; he was also to inherit his father's companies.

His older brother, Itachi Uchiha, already owned many companies in various parts of the world. So he was as well known as his brother.

"Teme, can't you move any faster," Sasuke's agent muttered to him, as they walked. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed man continued to smile pleasantly, all the while, muttering to his best friend.

"Why dobe? The people love me." The dark haired man replied cheekily, a smirk playing on his features. He watched as various fan girls swooned.

Finally they reached the limo and stepped in, driving away to the airport.

"Dobe, where are we going now?"

"Stop calling me that, teme. And FYI, we're going to Japan."

"Ah, Japan," Sasuke said, leaning his head back against the seat. "I cannot wait to be out of the U.S."

"It's not so bad. Who knows, it might even be worse in Japan. You have fan girls everywhere." A moment of silence passed. "Oh, Sasuke-teme…you have to get married."

Sasuke's eyes shot open as he glared at Naruto. "What?"

"You," he pointed at Sasuke, "have…to…get…married." Naruto told him slowly. "As your dad stated in his will, 'Neither will gain order to my companies without a wife and a sure heir.' So basically, you have to get married. And if you want your father's companies, then you have to marry before your brother does, and have a baby with your wife before him too. And although you may have lots of money now, you'll need to keep your wealth up, and the best way is to gain control of the companies."

"Well that should be easy. Just marry some fan girl and adopt a kid. Then divorce the girl and keep the kid with some nannies or something," Sasuke waved off nonchalantly.

Naruto smiled widely and replied, "Nuh-uh teme. Your father also said that you can't divorce the girl and the child must really be yours and hers unless she is unable to bear you a child. And you have to pay attention to your wife and kid or kids. If you don't, then the witnesses will deem you unworthy and your companies will go to Itachi-san."

"And who are these witnesses? I'd like to avoid them as much as I can."

Naruto's smile grew bigger, if that were possible. "There's me, Neji, Lee, and Tenten. Don't worry; we'll be around you 24/7."

Sasuke groaned, running a pale hand through his hair. "This is just great."

"Yeah, and your brother already has some girls lined up and ready to marry him. He just has to choose one, make a kid with her, and in nine months, eureka! A child is born! So you'd better hurry!"

"Kami-sama, I hate this," Sasuke moaned. "I don't even want to own Father's companies…but if I don't, my kid won't have a life. He'll be poor and deprived of all things."

"Stop moaning and groaning, Sasuke. At least your kid will have a chance at wealth. My kids on the other hand, will have to work in order to gain power. You're lucky and you don't appreciate it. You are so spoiled."

"Yeah, but your kids will be friends with my kid, so they'll be guaranteed a high paying job that they'll enjoy."

"Sure, whatever. Why are we even talking about this anyway? We don't have kids yet, and I plan on being a bachelor for a couple more years. I'm only twenty after all."

"Are we at the airport yet? I'm getting bored and claustrophobic."

"Couple more minutes, teme. Hold your balls."

"Thanks, and I'd like it if you didn't make references to my privates, dobe." Sasuke smirked, leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes. Naruto mumbled some things.

Soon they reached the airport and were greeted with an onslaught of reporters. Bodyguards appeared immediately, blocking off them off. Sasuke and Naruto made their way in and boarded a private jet, making their way to Japan.

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"Forehead girl, stop walking so fast!" Light blonde, blue-eyed Ino Yamanaka yelled after her best friend, running.

"We're going to be late if we don't hurry!" Sakura yelled back, brushing back her long pink hair. "We have ten minutes, and it'll take five to reach school, and then we have to drop off everything and find our classrooms. We're going to be late!" She reasoned, walking even faster.

"Sakura, I can't walk that fast. I'm not as athletic as you." Ino panted, flicking her blonde hair out of her face.

"Well that must mean you need to exercise more Ino-pig." Sakura teased, turning back to face her friend.

"Stop calling me that forehead-girl." Ino threatened, running even faster. Sakura began to run as well, reaching the school in minutes. She began walking towards the front doors, Ino soon catching up.

"We seriously need a car or something. There's no way I'm running to school every morning." Ino gasped.

"Well we would've gotten here sooner if you hadn't overslept. We would've had time to see our friends and do other things too. But you just had to oversleep, didn't you?"

"I can't help it if my schedule got messed up. I always slept till noon during the summer."

"Unless I asked if we could hang out and go the mall with everyone."

"Yeah, but that was still in the afternoon." The warning bell rang, signaling that they only had five minutes to get to their first hour class.

"Okay, we can go to our first hour class and then drop off our things afterwards," Sakura thought out loud.

"But I don't want to carry this junk around forever. I'm going to become a hunchback."

"Then deal with it Ino. Oh, here's our classroom." Sakura opened the door and stepped in, her eyes quickly scanning through all the people. In the back corner, all their friends had gathered.

"Hi Sakura, Ino!" Kiba greeted as the two girls sat down in nearby desks. Kiba had dark brown hair and matching eyes, his dog, Akamaru, on his shoulder.

"Hey," the two replied.

"I can't believe we're in the same class," Hinata stated, her voice still soft and gentle. Her dark purple hair framed her face cutely, her eyes a light lavender.

"I'm so glad. I have to have at least one friend in each of my classes. If so, then I'll be happy." Ino said, dropping her backpack on the floor. Sakura brought out a book, running a hand through her hair. She opened the book and began reading.

"Nuh-uh Miss Bookworm, no reading when you're with friends." The book was plopped out of Sakura's hands. She looked around and saw Temari with her long blonde hair and ice-blue eyes.

"Hi Temari-san, I can't believe you're in the same class as us this year."

"Yeah, I didn't feel like taking this class last year, so I have to take it this year." Temari replied, sitting down next to Sakura.

"Well that's good in a way. Now we have at least one class together," Sakura replied optimistically.

"Settle down students. Today we'll be starting…"

The day seemed to past quickly for Sakura. After school she made her way to the small coffee shop where she worked. She greeted her boss and put on an apron, tying it around her waist. The bell rang and some people settled down at a table.

"Sakura, go and get that table's order please," her boss Ami requested.

"Okay," Sakura replied, wiping off a table. She flicked back a stray piece of hair and grabbed her notepad. She smiled when she reached the group. "Hi, what would you like to order?"

A girl with dark brown hair tied into two buns on the side of her head answered, "I'd like a hot chocolate and a chocolate muffin."

"I'll have the same," a boy with long, chocolate-colored hair said. Sakura wrote down the orders and turned to the other three members.

"An herbal green tea and a peanut butter cookie," a boy with a bowl cut said, setting down the small menu on the table.

"I'll have…hm…it all sounds so good…" a boy with blonde hair and bright blue eyes mumbled.

"Dobe, just choose something," a dark haired boy demanded in a bored tone.

"Okay, I want one of everything, dessert and drink." The boy finally said, setting down his menu determinedly.

"I guess I'll just tomato juice and some chocolate chip cookies then," the raven haired boy decided.

"Alright, I'll try to have your order as soon as possible." She left to the kitchens, getting ready to prepare the items.

About ten minutes later, Sakura returned to the table and gave them their things, making a couple trips for the blonde man's order.

"I'm sorry it took a little long."

"It's no problem. I'm sure the food is worth the wait." The dark haired girl said, taking a bite of her muffin. She groaned in delight and added, "This is really good. You should try it Neji. I think I'm going to order some more and take it home. These are so good."

"Thanks," Sakura replied appreciatively. "I'll leave you then. If you need anything, just…call for me I guess. I won't be too far away." The bell above the shop door went off. Sakura looked and a smile graced her features. "Hi guys." It was her friends, the entire group: Ino, Shikamaru, Gaara, Temari, Hinata, and Kiba.

"Sakura, you have some explaining to do," Ino said, hands on her hips.

Sakura gave a nervous chuckle and replied, "Uh, w-why Ino?"

"You know why. You disappeared after school and no one knew where you were. We thought you might have gotten kidnapped or something. Luckily, Hinata here remembered that you have work today."

Sakura walked over to the group's table. "Sorry Ino, but really, who'd want to kidnap me? I mean, I'm me after all. Anyways, I just thought that you guys would all be busy with homework or training or something. I didn't want to bother you guys."

"Yeah, well, we don't have anything to do. We decided we're going to stay here and do our homework while you work. And then everyone's sleeping over. It's going to be so much fun. Okaa-san and otu-san said it'd be fine since they know what goody-goodies we are, especially when they're out of town. It's going to be the best. There'll be tons of food," she informed the rest of the group. Sakura already knew all this since she and Ino lived in the same house. Sakura had been adopted by the Yamanakas when she was around three years old.

"Alright! Party at the Yamanaka's!" Kiba yelled. Akamaru barked excitedly.

"You guys, quiet down. There are other people here, and you're probably disturbing them." Sakura shushed the group.

"It's alright with everyone though, right?" Ino asked, unknowingly projecting her voice.

"I just have to call my Father and ask," Hinata said quietly. Suddenly a small melody went off. "Oh, gomen, it's my phone." Hinata opened up her backpack and pulled out her cell. "Moshi Moshi, Hyuuga Hinata speaking. Oh, otu-san, yes, well, since you're here now, I was just wondering if I could sleep over at Ino's and Sakura's. Alright, thank you. Just have one of the maids pack my things. They should know what to pack. And then just have someone drop it off. I'll be there to pick it up. Arigatou. Ja ne." She hung up the phone and said, "Father said it'd be alright. Just the usual: No drinking, no smoking, no intercourse, and be in the house by ten o'clock."

"Sounds reasonable enough. We'll be here until 8:30, and it'll take about twenty minutes to get home, so that should be about 8:50, and we'll be watching movies and whatnot the entire night." Ino said.

"Okay, I might as well get orders. Do you guys just want the usual?"

"Yes please Sakura," everyone replied. Sakura gave a smile and left. She came back soon after with the orders.

"Sakura, there's no one else here, so come and help us with our homework. You're the other brainiac besides Shikamaru, but he's too much of a lazy ass to help and explain to us slow people." Temari demanded, dragging over a chair for Sakura.

Sakura bit her lip unsurely. "But there are some things in the kitchen that I still need to finish up."

Ami's voice came from the back. "Take a break Sakura-chan. I want you to have fun this weekend instead of doing whatever those teachers give you. Besides, there aren't many customers today…well, not until later, and then you'll have to work a little more. So I'm demanding you to take a break, got that?"

"Hai," Sakura replied, walking behind the counter and picking up her book bag. "Now let's see, what did we have for homework again?" She took out a small cream-colored planner and flipped through. "Ah, today we have homework in math…foreign language, we have to bake a dessert of our choice for foods class, and write a report on the English culture. Wow…that's a lot now that I think of it. But I'm almost done with all of it already."

"See, Sakura? We seriously need help. Like me, for example, I looked at the first problem and I instantly closed the page. I didn't get any of it." Ino told her, a small frown on her face.

Sakura smiled gently and pulled up a chair next to the group. "Okay, let's take problem 10. First though, who tried it?" No one raised a hand except for Hinata who did so shyly. "Good job then, Hinata. That's the first step. So everyone try it at least and I'll help with whatever you don't understand." For the next two hours, Sakura helped with a couple of customers and her friends. She finished off her homework and baked her dessert.

**ATTEMPTATTEMPTATTEMPTATTEMPTATTEMPTATTEMPTATTEMPT**

"Hyuuga Hinata," Tenten mused. "Is she related to you, Neji?"

"Hn," Neji replied, sipping his drink slowly, his eyes slipping over to the dark-haired girl. He watched her talk on the phone. She looked familiar, and she had the Hyuuga eyes, but he didn't remember her name, and he remembered everything.

"I'll take it that you don't know," Tenten concluded, biting into muffin. "I can't believe these are so good." She groaned, stuffing the last piece into her mouth.

"You know, she's rather cute," Naruto said conversationally, his eyes staring directly at the mixed, and rather loud, group.

"Who, Naruto?" Tenten looked interestedly at the blonde.

"Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto replied, popping the last piece of his sugar cookie in his mouth. They sat there for the next couple of hours, content with just sitting in the comfortable chairs and chatting, eating their treats and sipping their drinks (after ordering more of course). Finally at seven o'clock, they decided to leave. A cell phone went off.

They glanced over and saw the pink-haired girl remove a phone from her bag.

"Moshi Moshi, Haruno Sakura speaking." Her face lit up. "Uchiha-san, it's so good to hear from you. Why are you calling now?" Neji, Tenten, and Naruto looked at Sasuke with quizzical faces. He in turn looked at the girl closely. Her face wasn't recognizable.

"Your brother…Sasuke? Oh, Sasuke, I remember. I met him at the party, right? Oh, he was that grumpy looking one, right?" She laughed softly.

"Sakura, I want to talk with Uchiha-san," Ino whispered.

Sakura ignored her and continued. "You want me to show him around? Why? Aren't you coming back into the country in a couple days? Besides, he can just get a tour guide or something." She listened for a few more minutes and sighed. "Fine, fine, Uchiha-san. Only because I owe you. Ja ne." She closed her cell phone, again ignoring the cries of Ino and the rest of the group.

Sasuke stood up and walked over to the girl and her friends. He tapped her shoulder.

"How exactly do you know my brother?"

**A/N: The ending was rushed, wasn't it? I thought so. Well I really should be doing my English homework (writing a sonnet and villanelle, yeck), but I just couldn't resist putting on this new story as well. I have so much to do! I better get going. Thanks for any reviews! And please try to review. Much appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I hope this isn't below your expectations of my next chapter. Review please! I totally love reviews (don't we all?)! Anyways, thanks for reading, and enjoy the chap!**

Sakura swerved around, looking up and noticing the dark-haired man whom she had been serving the entire night.

"Um…are you related to Uchiha Itachi? If so, you must be Sasuke then, unless Uchiha-san has some other brother that is unknown to me." She chuckled, placing her phone back in her bag. Before she could hear his answer though, she was being dragged away by her friends.

"G-g-guys, w-what are you d-doing?" Sakura stuttered nervously as they entered the kitchen. She gulped as her friends closed around her, Hinata standing somewhat on the outside, a look of nervousness on her face.

"Sakura, do you seriously not know who that is?" Ino whispered furiously, her face a deep red.

"Uh…a…customer?" Sakura tried sheepishly.

"No, forehead-girl! That's Uchiha Sasuke! He's only the most well-known actor in the world! And he's Uchiha-san's brother."

"I guess I wasn't really paying attention when I was taking their orders then." Sakura laughed uneasily, looking for an escape route.

"Well, duh."

"Hey, I don't remember you jumping for joy when you entered the place." Sakura pointed out, feeling a bit put out.

"That's because I was too busy focusing on my homework. And besides, I have Shika-kun." Ino replied, snatching onto the arm of her boyfriend.

"You know, now that I think about it, I recognize all those people he was with. The blonde was Uzumaki Naruto, the dark-haired guy Hyuuga Neji, the guy with the bowl-cut Rock Lee and the girl Tenten." Temari piped up, leaning against the wall. Everyone then turned to look at Hinata who squeaked.

"Hyuuga Neji…is he related to you Hinata? He just has to be!" Kiba exclaimed, Akamaru barking in agreement.

"He is in fact, but he won't remember." Hinata stated quietly. Kiba opened his mouth to ask a question, but then the kitchen door burst open and Sasuke stormed in, followed by his group of friends. Ami followed after, telling him that he wasn't allowed in the kitchen. Sakura could tell her patience was waning. She didn't want to be the person whom Ami targeted. Her whip-lashing words would be enough to hurt anyone.

"You, girl, we need to talk." Sasuke pointed at Sakura who stood behind the rest of the group. According to the rest of them, she and Hinata were the 'delicate flowers' of the group.

"She has a name you know." Shikamaru grumbled, his shoulders slouched.

"Sakura-chan, would you please talk with your guests out of the kitchen?" Ami asked politely through gritted teeth. "You can leave. Make sure tomorrow you come and pick up your paycheck."

"Okay," Sakura replied hurriedly. She ran past everyone and grabbed her backpack. "Come on, or else I'm leaving and you'll all be locked out, so they'll be no party tonight." She urged, opening the front door.

"Sakura, wait up!" Ino yelled, dragging along Shikamaru. The rest of them followed quickly, leaving Sasuke and his group.

"Well? Aren't you going to get going as well?" Ami asked, crossing her arms. Sasuke left quickly. He needed to talk to the pink-haired freak if it was the last thing he did.

When they got outside the kitchen, the table she and her friends had occupied was empty and their book bags were gone. Sasuke headed out the door, making sure that he dropped some money on the counter to pay for their snacks.

"Teme, don't you think you're being illogical? We don't even know where she lives. We could be tracking her throughout the rest of the night and we'll never find her."

"Don't worry. I know this city like the back of my hand. There's nowhere she could've gone that I wouldn't know about." Sasuke replied assuredly, his confidence overflowing.

"Stupid, the area could've been redone while you were in America. You haven't been here in ten years. Lots of things happen in ten years." Neji pointed out, scowling. "Let's just head back to the mansion and forget about the girl. She was probably pulling your leg."

Sasuke stood stubbornly. He wasn't going to give up until he knew who she was. And there was no way he was going to admit Neji was right. The girl could just be another fan girl who'd been talking to her friend and calling him 'Uchiha-san' just so Sasuke would get curious.

"She shouldn't be hard to find. How many pink-haired beauties are there in this world?" Lee said, flushing a little at the thought of the pink-haired girl.

"And we saw their uniforms as well. They go to one of the most elite schools in the country so we can just visit tomorrow or something." Tenten reasoned. She wanted to get to bed and watch a movie or something.

"Fine," Sasuke mumbled. There was no way you could beat logic like that. "But tomorrow is Saturday!"

"That's why we visit the principal and ask to see some files on their students. We can find out where they live and everything." Tenten told him impatiently.

"I guess," Sasuke replied. Why was his brain so scrambled? Usually he would've thought of those things on his own. Now with pinkie, everything seemed hard.

"Okay then, if you aren't going to go chasing after some high school girl, then I'll be going to get more muffins. They don't close for another twenty minutes. I'll be right back."

"Get me some more sugar cookies, Tenten!" Naruto yelled after her.

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"I'm so glad we lost them," Sakura breathed, looking behind them.

"Geez, why'd we have to run away from Uchiha Sasuke? That might be the only time we ever see a big star like him in our town." Ino frowned, leaning against Shikamaru.

"I just hope he doesn't come back around or else he'll be questioning me. Uchiha-san never told me his brother was so…" Sakura trailed off, unable to think of a word.

"Let's just go to your house and watch movies or something. I don't feel like running around anymore. And it's starting to get cold. I hate the cold," Kiba complained, pulling his coat closer to his body.

"Okay, we ran far enough away that our house is just around the corner." Sakura pointed, walking ahead of the group. Temari walked next to Sakura in silence while Ino was with Shikamaru in the back, and Hinata and Kiba in the middle. Soon they reached the Yamanaka home and walked in.

"Looks like your maids already dropped off your things Hinata," Sakura said, nodding at the small duffel bag. Besides Hinata, everyone else already had an assortment of clothes in closets in the Yamanaka house since they almost spent every weekend at there.

"Okay, let's watch a movie. Or do you guys want to play a board game? That's always fun." Ino suggested, walking into the living room and sorting through their games and movies.

"Let's play a board game first, change into our p.j.s and everything, and then we can watch a movie. We'll bring our sleeping bags and stuff into the family room." Kiba suggested, already picking up a couple board games.

"That's fine. Now we just have to decide which board games to play."

"I want to play scrabble," Sakura said immediately, spotting the game underneath a whole bunch of other ones.

"Come on Sakura, you know you'll win. Unless it's you against Shikamaru. On the other hand, Shikamaru is so lazy that he might just let you win."

"Well what other board games do you want to play?"

"Let's play apples to apples. That's a fun game as well."

"But it gets boring after a while. Let's just play cards," Temari finally said, picking up a deck of cards.

"I guess. That'll keep us occupied for hours. Now…who wants to play some poker?" Kiba looked mischievously at the group who in turn looked around nervously. They all knew that Kiba was a master when it came to poker.

"Fine, but I get to pick the movie. I know you'll pick a scary one just to give me nightmares," Ino decided to compromise. She remembered the last time they'd allowed Kiba to choose a movie. She'd had nightmares for weeks, and Kiba always went out of his way to try and scare her. He even got Sakura to join in one time.

"Okay, okay, now let's play before we all fall asleep." Kiba headed to the kitchen, followed by everyone else. For the next three hours they sat, playing poker. They each changed into p.j.s afterwards.

"Let's watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. That's a really good movie. I love it so much," Ino decided, pulling out the movie.

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura agreed enthusiastically. It was by far her most favorite movie. It was also the first movie she'd watched together with Ino and her parents so it had lots of sentimental value.

"But it's not even Christmas yet," Kiba whined.

"It will be next month stupid," Temari stated, sprawled out on an armchair. Kiba scowled at her and Hinata giggled. The two were always fighting over the smallest things. It had especially gotten heated when they were playing poker.

"The movie is going in so everyone be quiet," Ino shushed, settling on the loveseat with Shikamaru. Kiba lay down on his sleeping bag, head propped up on a couple of pillows, Akamaru on his chest. That left Sakura and Hinata who sat on opposite ends of the sofa.

They didn't go to sleep until about one in the morning.

At about noon, Sakura was the first to wake up, having been the last to fall asleep. She looked in alarm at the clock but relaxed, realizing that it was Saturday morning. She lay there in her sleeping bag, not wanting to escape from the warmth.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated sooner. I've had a sort of writer's block and I'm writing another story with my friend so it's kind of hard to have my ideas for this and then ideas for my other story. And there's also the fact that it's almost winter break (and Christmas, yeah!) and teachers are assigning so much last minutes stuff. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chap!**

"Sasuke, stop moving before I make the driver stop somewhere so you can use the bathroom." Tenten growled, crossing her arms as Sasuke fidgeted in his seat.

"I don't need to use the bathroom, Tenten," Sasuke replied crossly. He hated being woken up in the morning, but Naruto couldn't resist yelling at the top of his lungs when he found the boxes of ramen in the kitchen.

"Then stop moving around so much. It's not like those files are going anywhere, anyways," Neji told him coolly, fixing his shirt. Already they'd found the principal of the school and asked to read the files. She'd sloppily written them a note, giving them permission to enter the school and search for whatever they needed.

"Driver, are we almost there yet?" Sasuke asked irritably. He decided to look out the window and finally spotted the school. "Finally!" Sasuke huffed. After what seemed like forever, they finally pulled up to the front doors of the school.

"Ah, yes, the power of youth is strong in this school." Lee commented as he stepped out.

"Let's just find what we need and get going." Neji said boredly, walking towards the front doors. He pressed an id badge into the scanner and opened the door. "Hurry up or else you'll never get in." The others quickly followed Neji who made his way to the front office. He turned on the light and made his way to a cream colored cabinet. He shuffled through all the folders quickly, pulling some out every once in a while.

"Um, Neji, how do you know where all these things are?" Tenten asked, shuffling through the folders he pulled out.

"They don't call me a prodigy for nothing," he replied smugly, closing the cabinet. "Okay, I have the folders."

"Aha, found her," Sasuke said, successfully pulling out a school photograph of the pink-haired girl.

"You know, she looks cute too, but I still think Hyuuga Hinata is much cuter. Where's her picture, Sasuke? You better not be hogging hers as well."

"As if, Naruto. She seemed a little too meek for me. I like girls with more spunk."

"Oh, good; I was starting to think you didn't like girls." Naruto replied, smirking slightly. "Ow!" He pouted, rubbing his head where Sasuke had hit him.

"Her name's Haruno Sakura." Sasuke scribbled that down on a sheet of paper along with her address. "Okay, that's all I need. Now let's go. We can come here Monday and find her."

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Sakura closed her eyes. She knew she should probably wake up, but the warmth was really comforting.

"Sakura…go cook breakfast," Ino groaned, turning over in her sleep. "Please? You know no one else besides you and Hinata that can cook a decent breakfast."

"I resent that," Kiba mumbled, pulling the blanket over his head. Sakura thought it over in her head.

"Don't worry Sakura, I'll make breakfast," came Hinata's quiet voice. That quickly made up Sakura's mind.

"No, it's alright Hinata. I'll make breakfast. You're a guest after all."

Hinata giggled. "Yeah, but we all visit so often that this is like our second home."

"You know what? I think we should all make breakfast. We've never done that before, have we? Come on, everyone wake up." Sakura removed the blanket and gently nudged everyone with her feet. "Please? Or else I'll poison all your pancakes."

"Oh, please. We'll probably end up poisoning them ourselves with our horrible cooking." Temari muttered, removing her blanket.

"You're probably right. But we'll get poisoned together," Kiba added enthusiastically. Akamaru barked happily, now fully awake.

"That's a really comforting thought," Shikamaru grumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He got up however and followed everyone else into the kitchen. They wordlessly began cooking a whole bunch of breakfast things: chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes, French toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, and crepes.

"Let's eat outside. It's actually kind of warm out," Sakura told them, stepping back into the house.

"What were you doing, Sakura?" Hinata asked, a couple plates in hand.

"I was just watering my flower." Sakura answered, opening the back door.

"What kind of flower are you taking care of?" Temari asked, bringing out some more plates.

"It's a Wisteria." Sakura replied. "It's actually really beautiful now. Come winter time I'll have to move it to the greenhouse."

"I would've thought you'd take care of a cherry blossom tree," Kiba remarked, carrying out yet even more plates.

"Well we see cherry blossoms all the time; I think it's great that she's taking care of a Wisteria," Ino disagreed, bringing out the final plates.

"It's just a flower. I still don't get why you guys are fighting." Shikamaru brought up the rear, carrying a whole bunch of plates and utensils. Sakura grabbed the cups, bringing them outside and setting them on the table. She went back inside and brought out a pitcher of pink lemonade, orange juice, and water.

They all sat down, spooning out portions of food for themselves.

"Alright, hope I meet you guys in Heaven," Kiba gulped, looking at the food unsurely.

They each took some food and slowly put it in their mouths. They chewed slowly and swallowed. For a minute they sat in silence.

"I-I'm not dead?" Kiba whispered, astonished. He took another bite of food. "I'm not dead!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. It was true that the rest of them were bad cooks, but they weren't bad enough to poison anyone.

"Stupid! Of course you wouldn't be poisoned. We had Hinata and Sakura there to help us after all." Temari scowled at Kiba who childishly stuck his tongue out at her.

"You seemed a little hesitant as well!" Kiba countered, stuffing some pancakes in his mouth.

"Only because you were cooking as well!" Temari stuffed some bacon and sausage in her mouth.

The two continued glaring at each other all through breakfast, each trying to eat more than the other. By the time breakfast was over, the two were having serious stomach aches.

"It's your fault my stomach hurts so bad…." Temari groaned, rubbing her stomach.

"How is that? You challenged me first," Kiba replied. Kiba and Temari sat at the kitchen table while Sakura and Hinata did dishes. Ino and Shikamaru (reluctantly) wiped the dishes and put them away.

"You two are so stupid sometimes. I mean, really, getting into fights over nothing." Ino sighed.

"It's probably true love," Hinata chuckled quietly. Sakura, being the only one who heard her, laughed as well.

"What's so funny?" Ino asked, putting a stack of plates away.

Sakura simply shook her head and continued laughing.

"Sakura, tell me, please!" Ino pleaded, giving Sakura a puppy pout. Sakura turned her head away. That was how Ino always got things out of her.

"You're no fun." She turned to Hinata. "Hinata, you'll tell me, right? What are you laughing about?"

"It's nothing too important, Ino." Hinata replied politely.

They made their way to the living room and sat for most of the day watching a couple of movies. Afterwards, they left and went window shopping.

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"Sasuke, can we stop already? I'm tired and we've been walking around for forever." Naruto whined, slumping against a light pole.

"I'm still shopping. You know how crowded these shops will get around Christmas. People are so lazy and wait until the last minute." Sasuke observed a music box in a window. "I think I'll get that for Mother." He headed inside, Naruto grumbling about ramen, Tenten following after, bags in hand, Neji carrying the rest of Tenten's bags, and Lee carrying some of his own.

Unknown to them, Sakura and her friends were heading towards the same shop.

"I've wanted that music box for a long time. I've been saving up for it with the money I earned from my job. I just hope that no one else bought it. It's been a couple months since I last saw it."

"I don't understand why you want it so bad or why you don't just ask mom and dad to get it for you."

"Because I want to earn it myself, and it'll make things more meaningful if I got it myself. Also, it reminds me a lot of the music box from the movie 'Anastasia.' I've always loved that music box, and the chance of actually getting something similar to that is just too much to pass up."

"Woman are so troublesome. Why go through all this trouble? We could've stayed in some nice café and waited for you. How hard is that?" Shikamaru muttered, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Stop being such a sourpuss," Temari told him.

"Yeah, Shikamaru. You're totally ruining the atmosphere," Ino agreed, looping her arm through his.

"Please stop acting so boyfriend-girlfriend-y; it's disturbing." Kiba said behind them.

"You're just jealous because you could never get a girlfriend." Ino stuck her tongue out at him, leaning her head against Shikamaru's arm. They soon reached the store and headed in.

"Yes, I'd like that music box you have in the window." Sasuke told the owner.

"Alright; that's the only one I have. It's incredibly unique."

"Excuse me sir, but I'd like that music box as well," Sakura told the owner boldly. She recognized Sasuke from the night before and she was afraid of what he'd do when he found her, but there was absolutely no way she was going to allow him to get what she'd ceaselessly been saving up for.

"I was here first and I'd like to purchase that music box." Sasuke told the owner again.

"Excuse me, but I've been saving for a long time and I really would like to get that music box." Sakura looked earnestly at the owner.

"Look, I'll offer you double the price for that music box." Sasuke said. The owner took on a thoughtful expression, contemplating.

"I'll let you have free cookies and muffins from Rose Café for a month. The owner's expression changed. 'Score! No one can resist those sweets. They're the best things ever!'

"I'll give you more than that. I'll buy those recipes and give them to you so you can always have them."

Sakura bit her lip. There was no way she could compete with that. Sasuke smirked at her, knowing that he'd won.

"Hey, you know, you look familiar. Do you happen to know our mother and father: Yamanaka Inoichi and Kaiya?" Ino brought up, squinting hard at the old man.

"Ah, yes, they're such wonderful people. They really helped me out a couple years ago when I was in debt. How are they now?"

"They're doing just fine. They're also out of town at the moment. I'm their daughter Ino, and that's my sister, Sakura." Ino pointed at Sakura.

"Well, it'd only be right if I gave my saviors' daughter what she wanted." He moved to the window and removed the music box. He gently wrapped it in tissue paper and put it in a box. He made sure to place the key in there as well. "Here you go," he said, handing it to her. Sakura pulled her wallet out of her purse. "Oh no, you don't have to pay. However, I'd like it if I was able to get those treats from Rose Café for free."

Sakura smiled. "Of course. You don't know how much getting this music box meant to me." She somewhat cradled it in her arms, ecstatic. She also smiled in satisfaction. She'd gotten the thing that Uchiha Sasuke wanted. She bowed to the owner and thanked him. Sakura motioned to her friends and they quickly filed out. It took a moment for Sasuke to react before following them out.

"Haruno Sakura, stop this instant!" This however, only caused Sakura to speed up. "Haruno Sakura, get back here!" She began running, her friends following, although somewhat slowly. Sasuke sighed grumpily before running after her. He sped past her friends who had stopped. Neji, Tenten, Naruto and Lee stopped next to Sakura's friends and decided to make acquaintance. To them, it seemed like they'd need to know each other's names. Apparently Sasuke and Sakura were going to get much closer…well, that's what it looked like anyways.

**A/N: While I was reading it over, I sort of noticed that the ending was rushed. I really hope it wasn't though. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chap. And Happy Holidays!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I was feeling really ambitious and I decided to update again in the same day! I haven't done this yet and it makes me feel so bad! I'd like to thank all my reviewers and people who put my story on favs or alert: SasukeandNejicuties, Kaydreams, Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90, edakumi-sama, icygirl2, Sexy.Black.Neko, VcChick, xXFreak-headXx, frienz4ever, logging-in is troublesome, littlechineseazngirl, Tina, Alory Shannon, 01sweetxpnaii, AngelHands12, Tina-Marie, crazyevilgirl, velcroSUNSHINE, moodiful819, blossom26, heartless soul, QwErTzA91, velvettears81969, AnimeLuver05, sasukeismylover, Jennjennr, KaIKaI13, KinjuSakura, NynaeveIshizu, O.o Kaoru-chan o.O, Sukarou,** **Sw1tTdR1ns, Tenshi Shizuka, anikario, animedreamerz05, bloddytears, caslspirit15, lainey-bo-bainey, lil wierd azn, reader713, runwithskizzers, smileforme x3, thundercan, x Sakura-chan, and xLycia. I'd also like to thank the c2's: Sasuke & Sakura 4eva, sasuXsaku shrine, and the tainted blossom.**

Sakura stopped near a tree, leaning against the trunk, breathing heavily. She'd lost Sasuke for now. However, he seemed pretty good at tracking…like a blood-hound. Maybe he was part dog?

"Sakura, what are you doing?" She looked up and her face lit up in a smile.

"Gaara, where have you been? You disappeared almost as soon as you entered the shop yesterday." Gaara jumped down from his spot on the branch, landing silently besides Sakura.

"I had some business to attend to. It wasn't anything too big. Kankuro decided to visit at the last minute and I had to pick him up since the baka didn't have any extra money for a cab. He spent the rest of it buying chips for Choji."

Sakura laughed. "Well, that's exactly like Kankuro and Choji. Choji is like Kankuro's little brother; they've been best friends ever since Choji entered kindergarten, wasn't it?"

"Yes; the twerp actually had the nerve to stand up to me," Gaara grumbled darkly.

"That's because you were being mean to your older brother. Of course someone would stand up to you. Then again, you were and still are the scariest kid in the school."

"Please. I can't help it if those below me fear me. The only reason I respect any of you is because you had the nerve to stand up to me. However, the one that surprised me the most was you, Sakura. You don't seem like the kind of person to stand up for others."

"Yes, but I was bullied when I was younger so I know what other kids feel like. I mean, I know you only pick on kids who deserve to be picked on now, but you were really cruel when we were younger."

"And you know the reasons for that as well, Sakura." Gaara replied curtly. Gaara had a dark past that only Sakura really knew about. Out of the entire group, these two were probably the closest. Yes they all felt like brothers and sisters, but Gaara knew that Sakura was the only one who would really understand him. They had both had troubles beyond what anyone could ever imagine.

A twig snapped behind them. Sakura swerved around, looking to the left and right. Gaara simply stood there, leaning against the trunk.

"Sakura, who is that?" He asked boredly.

"Uchiha Sasuke. He's been chasing me around for the past forty-five minutes. He's angry because I got this music box before he did. The owner knew my parents and he gave it to me since they helped him out of debt."

"Is that the music box you saw the day we were shopping for Ino's birthday present?" Sakura nodded an affirmative.

"He must be pretty pathetic then, getting worked up over a music box. And this man is supposed to be three years our senior? More like three years our junior." Gaara scoffed.

Another twig snapped behind them.

"I think you're making him angry Gaara," Sakura whispered worriedly. Gaara replied with nothing.

"I'm bored. Let's go find the others." Gaara straightened himself and began walking off into the woods.

"G-Gaara, are you sure that's the right way? We just seem to be going farther in." Sakura followed him however. As long as she was with Gaara, there was no way Uchiha Sasuke could get to her.

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"They sure are taking a long time," Tenten sighed, staring once again at her cell phone. "Why can't they hurry up? I'm getting full from eating all these muffins. I mean, I love them and all, but I still want to be able to move."

"Yeah; too bad Sakura wasn't here. She always makes them nice and fresh; she bakes all the sweets here. She's always been good at cooking. I guess she got that from her mother." Ino sipped her latte, staring out the window.

"Hey, Temari, whatever happened to Gaara? He wasn't with us yesterday when we left the café."

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I forgot about Gaara! I hope he's not too mad at me." Temari bit her lip worriedly.

"Don't worry; I bet it was just some business that Gaara didn't want us to be troubled with." Hinata reassured her.

"I sure hope so. Gaara hates it when I ignore him like that." Temari said under her breath.

"You know, Hyuuga-san, are you by any chance related to Neji?" Naruto asked curiously. As long as Hyuuga Hinata was here, might as well ask her questions about her relation to Neji.

Hinata fidgeted in her seat, nervously fiddling with the napkin. "Well…yes, he is." She finally answered, avoiding Neji and Naruto's eyes.

"How? And why doesn't Neji remember?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Well…that's because…well…um…" The café door opened and they all looked up. There stood Sasuke, soaked to the bone. Unknown to them, it had begun raining outside. He made his way over to them, a sour expression on his face.

Naruto burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha! Sasuke, you look like a drenched cat! Oh man, this is great. No wonder you hate rain. If it made me look this bad, I'd hate it too!" Naruto continued chuckling. Lee tried in vain to hold back his laughter, Neji looked away, and Tenten hid herself behind a menu. Sakura's friends laughed out loud like Naruto, not even bothering to hide it from the fuming Uchiha.

Sasuke never liked being laughed at. And any kids who did ended up regretting it. Sasuke remembered beating up a kid who was almost twice his age when he was six. Itachi had to pull him away and Sasuke got a really bad scolding from his father. However, seeing the boy's black and blue face the next day was pretty satisfying.

"Hey, I think that's Sakura!" Kiba told the group, looking out the window. "And Gaara's with her."

"Hey, you were chasing her, weren't you? Don't tell me she was too sly and slick for the great and invincible Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruto looked at the sulking Uchiha, a wide smile on his face.

"Shut up dobe, or I'll lower your pay."

"Oh please; you know you wouldn't do that. I'm your best friend after all."

Sakura and Gaara walked in, an umbrella in Gaara's hand.

"Hey, where'd you guys get the umbrella?" Ino asked, moving aside so they could pull up some chairs and sit down.

"Bought it," Gaara replied shortly. A waitress came over, getting their orders.

"Oh, Sakura-san, you need to get your paycheck from Ami-san." She told Sakura.

"Arigatou." The waitress nodded in return and left with their orders.

"Well that was smart; unlike someone we know who is drenched." Naruto looked pointedly at Sasuke who replied, "You are never going to let me live that down, are you?" Naruto shook his head no.

"Gaara, where were you anyways? We didn't see you much yesterday. And how'd you meet Sakura?" Kiba asked.

"Had to pick up Kankuro and Choji. They didn't have enough money for a cab because Kankuro spent the rest of his cash on Choji's chips."

"Kankuro's here?" Temari asked. "Since when? I didn't know he was visiting. Why's he visiting?" Gaara shrugged in return.

"Anyways, getting back to what we were talking about before: why doesn't Neji remember anything about you or being related to you, Hyuuga-san?" Naruto looked at Hinata questioningly.

"Well…um…that is…" Hinata stumbled, twiddling her thumbs. The café door opened yet again, but no one paid any attention to it except for Shikamaru.

"Uh, Hinata, your father's here."

**A/N: I'd like to ask everyone a question: how do you reply to people's reviews? I'd like to thank you all personally and answer any questions you have and stuff. If you can tell me that, it'd be much appreciated. thanks! **


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata twisted around and stood up, bowing. Everyone, besides Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Tenten, and Lee followed her example. Even Gaara bowed, although it was more like a slight tilt of the head.

"O-otu-san," Hinata stuttered. Behind him stood Hanabi, her face emotionless, but her eyes worried.

"Hinata, why did you not call? We contacted the Yamanaka home and your phone, yet you failed to answer either. We believed you to be stolen by someone, but here you are, casually sitting with your companions, not a care in the world." He roughly grabbed Hinata's forearm and pulled her away from her friends. They didn't protest, just quietly stood there, heads bowed down.

"Now wait just a minute. Why the heck are you pulling Hyuuga-san around like she's some doll? She's a person who can just be asked to move along." Naruto stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "And you guys," he swerved to Hinata's friends, "why aren't you saying anything? He's treating her so roughly and you guys are all just standing there like nothing's happening. Before you guys would've totally shouted and told him to unhand her. What is the matter with you?!"

"Uzumaki-san, stay out of this. Stop acting like you know anything." Sakura looked up briefly only to glare at Naruto.

"Yeah, I don't know anything; that's why I'm saying something."

"Hinata, go. We'll catch up later, okay? See you Monday." Sakura continued, ignoring Naruto. Hinata nodded as she was pulled out.

"Sakura-san, I'm sorry that my father has disturbed you all." Hanabi bowed to them, her dark hair shading away her face for a brief moment.

"It's okay. Hyuuga-san is just really worried about Hinata, about both of you. It's only natural he'd want to protect you guys and always have you at his side. However, he needs to learn that Hinata is a big girl who can take care of herself." Sakura replied kindly, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"Yes," she replied, turning to walk away. "You know, Sakura-san, you should try telling my father that. If he hears it from someone other than myself, then perhaps he can be persuaded to let Hinata be free. After all, she's a good person who does not need to be dragged into the darkness of the Hyuuga clan. Well, good-bye. Thank you for taking care of Hinata." Hanabi left, quickly trailing after her father and Hinata.

"Hanabi sure has matured a lot since we first met her. She's more like a mother of Hinata's rather than a younger sister," Temari remarked. "Well come on, let's get going. It's stopped raining." Everyone stood up and dropped some money on the table.

"You mean you guys are alright with the way Hyuuga-san is treated by her father?" Naruto asked as the group was heading out the door. Shikamaru, being the last one out, answered him.

"We're her friends, her closest friends. Do you really believe we're okay with it? Hyuuga-san does that as his way of protecting Hinata. She and Hanabi mean a lot to him, even if he doesn't show it. He's not a bad person, just someone who's afraid of losing people important to him. Anyways, ciao."

Naruto slumped in his chair. "I don't get them. If any of my friends were treated like that, I'd be on their parents' case forever."

"That's the difference between you and them. They're more mature and know when they should and shouldn't interfere in anything." Neji replied calmly. Inside his mind he was contemplating the look that Hinata's father had given him. Her father had seemed rather worried and angry that his daughter was seen in the presence of himself and his friends.

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"You know, Uzumaki-san is right. We should say something when Hyuuga-san acts like that." Ino told the group quietly as they trudged to the Yamanaka home.

"Yes, but he doesn't know why Hyuuga-san acts like that. We do, however, and we understand that it's not our business to interfere. He's already lost Hinata and Hinabi's mother to bad people. You all know how broken up he was over that. If he lost either of his daughters, he'd die. We all know that they are the most important people in his life. Uzumaki-san is a person who says things without thinking or understanding the situation. He's one of those people that just assumes. I hate people like that." Gaara said softly, his voice growing harder with each word. Everyone listened quietly. It was the most Gaara had ever said to the entire group. Sakura was the only person who ever really heard him speak that much.

"Yes, but at least he isn't afraid. Anyways, let's not talk about that anymore. I don't really enjoy talking about people behind their back." Sakura said, clutching the music box to her chest.

They continued walking silently. Events like that always seemed in some way to bring down their spirits.

**A/N: Sorry for the lame ending. All my chapter endings have been pretty lame. Anyways, here's my holiday gift to all you wonderful reviewers. Thanks for keeping up with my story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See ya next year!**


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura turned in her bed, gripping her blanket tightly. Sweat dripped down her face, staining her pillow case. She hadn't heard his voice in so long. She had believed that he would disappear. Yet again, here he was, haunting her.

* * *

Sakura was running; she was six years old again. She'd gotten separated from Ino and her parents at the zoo. She didn't know where to go and everyone looked scary. She was too afraid to ask anyone for help as she ran through the zoo, silently hoping that she would see Ino's friendly face and hear her call, "Let's get going forehead-girl!" Sakura would smile and say, "I thought you were behind me Ino-pig." They'd smile and hook arms, following after their parents.

Yet, Sakura had seen no hint or trace of Ino or her parents. Suddenly as if from the shadows, a man appeared with long dark hair and yellow snake-like eyes.

"Why, hello, little girl. Are you lost? I can help you find your mommy and daddy. I know where they are. They're really worried about you."

"I-I-I'm so-sorry, mister, but they-they told me-they told me not to talk to strangers," Sakura stuttered, stumbling back. She tripped over her feet and landed on her bum. She watched, paralyzed as the snake-man came closer, trying to smile somewhat pleasantly.

"Get away from her, scum!" A voice yelled behind her. Sakura looked back and her eyes widened when she saw a boy, perhaps a few years her senior. He had a rock in one hand, his dark eyes set determinedly. A breeze blew through his dark hair, making it even messier than it already was.

"What a brave little boy, foolish, but brave." The snake-man sneered amusingly. "However, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. I suggest you scurry back to your mommy or she'll worry for you."

This time, the little boy snickered. "I would do that, slimy scum, if I had a mother to 'scurry back to'. But I don't, so I want to help this pink-haired kid. So leave her alone. Go away. Are you some pervert who likes to pick on little girls? Sick," he said, making gagging noises.

"Why, you little brat," the snake-man snarled. He backed away slowly but not before whispering, "You got lucky this time, little girl. Just to let you know however, no matter how much you run, no matter how far you go, I will always find you. For you see, you and I are one in the same. With me, you will have power beyond imagination. Run and I will kill all those who you hold dear." He suddenly disappeared.

"Hey, are you okay?" The boy asked, coming to Sakura's side. Sakura replied with a nod, unable to move her legs. "I think I know where your mommy, daddy and sister are. And I'm not lying like that guy was. Your sister has blonde hair and turquoise eyes, right? And your dad has blonde hair too? Your mom is a brunette, isn't she?" Sakura nodded again. She'd rather go with this boy than the scary man. "Can you move your legs?" Sakura shook her head no. He sighed and said, "Fine, I'll carry you, but only because you aren't acting like a fan girl." He squatted before her and waited till Sakura had climbed on his back, her legs gripping his sides. "Man, you're light. How old are you? Six?" Sakura nodded again. "You don't talk much, do you? Usually I'm the one who does the listening…or ignoring in most cases." Throughout the entire walk, the boy chatted, feeling for a nod or shake.

"Sakura-chan!" Ino squealed happily. Sakura looked up from the boy's shoulder and a smile broke out on her face. Ino made her way over and Sakura scrambled to get off the boy's back. He did so. Sakura ran and embraced Ino who was sobbing.

"Gomen, Sakura-chan. I thought you were with okaa-san."

"There, there. It's okay, Ino-chan. That boy over there helped me."

"What boy, Sakura-chan?" Ino asked curiously, standing on her tip-toes to see if she could see better.

"What?" Sakura looked behind her, and to her surprise, no one was there. It was as if he'd been nothing more than a ghost. "I never even got his name. And I didn't tell him thank you." Sakura whispered.

"Come on, Sakura-chan. Okaa-san and otu-san are taking us out for dinner. Come on," Ino said, pulling Sakura along. Sakura took one last look before following after Ino.

* * *

As the dream gradually became better, Sakura stopped fidgeting and soon lay there tranquilly. As soon as the dream ended, her alarm went off. She groaned, her hand feeling around for the clock. She soon found it and shut it off. She blinked, staring at her ceiling. Why did she have that dream? She hadn't had it in so long. She shook her head and decided that she would think about it later. Right now she had to get ready for school. She walked past Ino's room and knocked on the door. She heard Ino grumpily get up.

"Whoa, you look scary," Sakura joked, her voice raspy. Ino simply glared and made her way to the bathroom. Sakura followed after.

In the bathroom, Sakura decided to ponder on her dream. It'd been a couple years since that dream, and even longer since she'd seen that snake-man. He said he was going to come after her, but he hadn't made any attempts yet, at least not that Sakura knew of any. What was even weirder was that boy. Could it have been Sasuke?

'Nah, Sasuke is not that kind. He's so obnoxious and self-centered there's no way he could've been that boy. It must have been someone else. It's not like there aren't other people with dark hair and eyes.' She spit out her toothpaste and continued brushing. 'Maybe if I wished to see him again so I could thank him, then I'd see him at school today. It always happens in books, so who says it can't happen in real life?' She spit again and rinsed her mouth. She washed her face with a cloth and left, leaving Ino who was still washing her face.

In her room, Sakura locked the door and changed into her school uniform. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and decided to braid it. While she tied her braid, she thought about the previous day. Everyone had stayed over again, but things weren't as cheerful. Kiba and Temari seemed even more cross than usual and were constantly arguing. Finally, at around lunch time, they each began leaving one by one. Sakura hoped that today things would be better.

"Sakura, are you done yet?" Sakura snapped out of her trance as Ino's voice drifted through the door.

"Y-yeah," she replied, grabbing her book bag. She took one last look in the mirror before opening her door. Ino stood on the other side, her bangs clipped to the side. "So, what do you want for breakfast?" Sakura asked as they walked down to the kitchen.

"We have about half an hour till we can leave for school so how about some pancakes? I want chocolate chip ones."

"Okay," Sakura agreed as they entered the kitchen. She immediately went to get the items she would need while Ino got plates, cups, utensils and whatever else they'd need. In record time, Sakura had made ten pancakes and set them on a plate between her and Ino.

"Made enough pancakes, forehead-girl?" Ino joked, sitting down.

"You never know; Ino-pig might even eat mine." Sakura countered, grabbing a pancake and breaking it apart, dipping some in a small bowl of syrup.

"I guess we're not using plates and stuff today." Ino muttered, grabbing a pancake as well. They ate in silence, soon finishing the pancakes. They washed dishes and put them away before they left.

"I'm surprised we made it to school on time," Sakura said as they walked through the school gates.

"Sakura, watch out!" Ino yelled, pulling Sakura to the side. Sakura had just barely missed getting mauled over by a group of screaming fan-girls.

Just as Sakura and Ino had walked in, a limo had pulled up. And would you believe it: Sasuke and his crew stepped out as did bodyguards. Apparently they were very used to being mobbed by big crowds like this.

"I love you Sasuke!" "You're adorable Naruto!" "Neji, you look so handsome!" "Tenten, where'd you get your outfit? I absolutely love it!" "Not as much as I love you Lee!" were just some of the first yells Ino and Sakura heard.

"Sakura, let's get out of here before I end up barfing all over the place," Ino said, making gagging sounds. Sakura laughed and agreed. It was afterwards that Ino's act had brought on the memory of the dark-haired boy. She shook it off however and followed after Ino into the school.

"Haruno Sakura, get back here!" Sasuke yelled, picking out the pink-haired girl from the crowd.

"Haruno Sakura…?" The girls asked, each turning around to find the girl that wasn't them.

"Crap; we'd better run Ino," Sakura muttered to her best friend.

"You mean you had better run. It's you he's after, not me. Bye-bye Sakura. I'll see you inside. Try not to be late." Ino gave a quick smile before speeding off.

"Ino, you traitor!" Sakura yelled. "Crap," she mumbled. She didn't get very far. The fan girls had cornered her and were now dragging her over to Sasuke who was smirking victoriously.

'Man is it good to have fan girls to do all my work for me.' He watched a fuming Sakura approach him.

"What do you want, stalker?" She asked grumpily. She kept looking back at the school, waiting for the warning bell to go off.

"How do you know my brother?" He was pretty irked as well that he'd asked this question a couple days ago and he still hadn't gotten an answer. There was also the fact that he and his brothers weren't on good terms and Tenten couldn't get in touch with Itachi either.

"Why do I have to explain myself to you?" She asked, crossing her arms, her viridian eyes defiant.

"Because I'm--" he began.

"Uchiha Sasuke," continued another voice. "It's been a long time since I last saw you." Sasuke's snapped to the side where the voice came from.

"Sai, it's good to see you!" Naruto exclaimed, shaking Sai's hand.

"You as well, Naruto, Neji, Lee, Tenten," he said, nodding to the rest of the group.

"Long time no see," Tenten replied, going over to hug the dark-haired 'twin' of Sasuke's.

"It's good to see that the power of youth is still strong around you," Lee added, shaking his hand.

"Hn," Neji said, somewhat reluctantly shaking Sai's hand.

This man, could he…could he be…the boy who had saved her so long ago?

Sakura blushed when his gaze met hers. She lowered her eyes and fidgeted slightly.

"Sasuke, don't tell me you're going to ask out this beauty," Sai said, half-jokingly, half-serious. He definitely recognized her from somewhere. Flitting through his memories, he smirked when he found the right one. "Sakura, am I right?" She looked up, shocked.

"How do you two know each other?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"Let's just say I saved her from a bad guy when we were little," Sai said, his eyes never leaving Sakura's. At this moment, the warning bell rang.

"Well, I-I'd better get to class. I don't want to be late." She began to hurry off, but Sai called her back. "Yes?" She asked, worriedly biting her lip.

"Meet me here after school, alright?" He whispered in her ear. She nodded numbly and turned back around, bolting off to class. Sai chuckled amusedly.

"Sai, please explain more thoroughly how you know her." Tenten demanded.

"I rescued her from a big snake-man when she was six; that's about all there is to it," Sai shrugged.

"Snake-man?" Neji asked, his lips thinning out.

"Yep; the one we all know and love," Sai replied sarcastically.

**A/N: Well there's my next chap. I hope you guys liked it. Happy New years!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey! I'm super sorry for this late update! I'm also sorry if it's so short. I tried my best! and I'm kinda brain-dead right now. I have no ideas running through my head. anyways, hope you enjoy the chap!**

"So, Sakura, who was the new hottie that you were talking to? Don't tell me it was one of Uchiha's friends. Then again, they could be twins from what I saw." Temari began berating Sakura with questions as soon as she entered the classroom.

"From their introductions, his name is Sai. He's not related to Uchiha-san; at least I don't think so. Yes, he seems to friends with their entire group. The weirdest thing though, was that he knew my name."

"How, Sakura? Is he some stalker or something? I mean, he's a couple years older than us, right?" Kiba asked apprehensively. If he really was a stalker, some cautious procedures would have to be taken.

"No, he's not a stalker Kiba." Sakura answered, chuckled slightly. "He just rescued me one time when we were little. I'm a little surprised that he remembered my name. It's been quite a while."

"Sakura, I don't remember ever meeting him, or seeing him either." Ino gave a look Sakura a look of puzzlement.

"Ino, do you remember, when we were six and we went to the zoo with okaa-san and otu-san? I got lost that day, but then I came back before we left for dinner? It was my birthday. You have to remember that detail at least. You were crying and blaming yourself because you thought I was with okaa-san."

"Oh," Ino sobered, "I remember now. Was it that strange boy that I didn't see? Was the one that disappeared before you could say thanks to him?" Sakura nodded and gasped, "I need to thank him still!"

"Sakura, it's been like what, six years since he saved you and you're thanking him now? Don't you find that a little strange?" Shikamaru pointed out boredly, leaning back in his chair.

"Well it's better than never thanking him," Sakura huffed.

"She does have a point there," Kiba said.

"Hey, Temari, where's Gaara?" Ino asked curiously, searching for the red-head of their group.

"He's skipping today. It's weird. He's been trying to sleep these past couple days. I don't know why, though." Temari bit her lip anxiously, a habit of hers that always gave her away when she was nervous or sometimes lying.

"Gaara's been trying to sleep? Isn't that like impossible for insomniacs?" Kiba asked, looking up interestedly.

"I don't know. All I know is that he's been trying to sleep, but it's not working I guess, since he's been in a foul mood since Saturday." Temari grumbled, slouching in her chair.

"Yes, it can be treated. You just have to go to a doctor and they'll help you learn better ways to sleep and stuff. It might take a bit of time, but it's not impossible," Sakura spoke up. She had read a little bit about this since she was going to be a doctor after all.

"Do you think that perhaps we should help Gaara?" put in Ino.

"I don't think so. The last time we tried helping when he first became an insomniac, he totally blew up on us when we asked if we could do anything to help. Thanks, but no thanks. I don't want to be killed." Shikamaru lazily told the group.

"I think we should help him, whether or not he wants it. Let's go after school, okay?" Sakura smiled, but the look on her face was still stubborn.

"Alright, but if he gets angry, you guys have to get out of the house, okay? Promise you'll all do that? There's no telling what Gaara will do if he gets angry with us." Temari was serious when she said that.

"I don't care if he does get mad. I know that no matter what, Gaara would never hurt me. And…even if he did…well, it'd be for his own good." Sakura sobered a bit at the end, but grinned anyways.

"Sakura, you need to stop acting like a hero, like a big-shot or something. You think that just because you're the only one that Gaara really talks to, he won't hurt you if you make him angry." said Ino, observing her nails.

"Ino, that was mean," Hinata spoke up quietly.

"Hinata!" They yelled, each taking a turn to hug her, as if they hadn't seen each other for years.

"What are you guys talking about?" She asked, sitting down in a nearby desk.

"Gaara has been trying to sleep and get over his insomnia, but it hasn't been working and he's pretty irritated. We're going after school to see if he's okay." Temari informed her.

"Oh…. Well, I think that out of all of us, Sakura is the only one who would really be able to talk to Gaara. We're friends with him, yes, but he doesn't trust us as much as he does Sakura."

"That's true. We'll all go and Sakura will do most of the talking I guess," Kiba agreed, nodding his head up and down.

"Yeah; now that we're done with that problem, where's Kakashi-sensei? He should've been here half an hour ago!" Ino yelled, slamming her hand on the desk, their last subject somewhat forgotten.

"You know him. That hentai will be here in another half hour at the least."

"Good morning, everyone." Their sensei popped his head into the room and smiled.

"Sensei, you're late again!" Ino screeched, standing up in her seat, her long blonde hair almost smacking Kiba in the face.

"I'm sorry everyone; I got lost on the road of life. One can't help it if nature is so beautiful today. I thought for class that we could go out and observe and enjoy our life." Most of the class cheered.

"He's really good at getting himself out of trouble," Ino grumbled, following everyone out the door.

"Oh, yes, before I forget, we have some guests here at the school. They'll be in our class for the rest of the year, not as students, but as…well…almost like student teachers, let's say." Kakashi told them this as they stepped out into the school courtyard.

As usual, whispers broke out among the students as they brought their heads together and looked up and around, searching for the new 'student teachers'.

"You can come out now." Kakashi called, settling himself comfortably against a tree. Boys scowled, girls squealed and gaped as the six people walked into the courtyard. "Class, you most likely know these people, but I'll give out introductions. Starting on your right we have Uchiha Sasuke-san, Uzumaki Naruto-san, Tenten-san, Hyuuga Neji-san, Rock Lee-san and Sai-san." As soon as Kakashi announced Sai's name, girls pushed each other to talk to the famous group.

"Mou, I'm surprised they withheld themselves until after the introductions. Maybe they're finally starting to mature," Temari snickered, giggling behind her hand. Hinata sighed, a small smile on her face.

"Or maybe they're finally learning that they'll only embarrass themselves," Sakura added quietly, trying extremely hard to keep a smile off her face. She looked towards the entrances of the courtyard and gasped.

"What is it, Sakura?" Ino asked, looking to where Sakura was staring.

"Gaara!" Sakura yelled, jumping onto her feet and running towards one of the entrances. All their friends stood up as well and made their way to where Sakura was fretting over Gaara.

"What are you doing here, Gaara? Are you okay? Did you eat? You look more exhausted than usual." She bit her lip, looking up at her childhood companion.

"Fine," he replied monotonously, a smile flitting across his face. Although he hardly ever showed it, he was glad Sakura was his friend. She worried and wasn't afraid to show when she was. She had been the first person to accept him, the first person to ever truly smile at him. She was precious to him.

"I'm glad. Temari just told us that you've been trying to get over your insomnia; is that true?" Gaara looked at her stonily before walking around the group and sitting down grumpily near a tree.

"Why'd you have to bring that up, Sakura?" Kiba whined, slightly afraid of Gaara's wrath. He distinctly remembered one day when they were in 6th grade and some kid had made fun of the dark rings around Gaara's eyes. The kid was hardly recognizable when Kiba, Kankuro and Shikamaru had finally managed to pull away the enraged Gaara.

"Because I'm worried about him," Sakura replied airily, walking to where Gaara sat and settling herself comfortably beside him. His eyes remained aimed at the sky, looking at the clouds, a usual Shikamaru look. The rest of the group decided that it'd be best if they left the pair alone. Sakura would be okay with Gaara.

"You know, Gaara, I'm just worried about my best friend, well guy friend at least." Sakura, too, was now looking at the sky.

"I don't need you to worry," he replied quietly, his arms loosely folded. Discreetly, his eyes shifted to where Sasuke and his friends sat, fake smiles plastered on their faces. His eyes lingered on the 'twins'. Gaara didn't appreciate the looks that either of them sent Sakura. Sasuke gave her a look of annoyance and something else, something that Gaara was going to push to the back of his mind. The other guy, Sai, if he was listening right to his girl friends' information, was overlooking Sakura calculatingly and Gaara didn't like the 'vibe' or 'aura' that was radiating from him.

"Gaara, what's wrong?" He shifted his face and looked at the innocent face that had always smiled at him since their youth.

"Sakura, stay away from that group."

"What?" She asked, genuinely confused. Her viridian eyes clouded over in thought. Gaara remained silent to her question and instead closed his eyes. He breathed deeply.

A pair of yellow snake-like eyes appeared from the darkness.

Gaara's eyes shot open and his breathing was slightly heavy. It had been less than a minute.

"Gaara, what happened?" Sakura asked anxiously, moving closer to him.

"Damn," he muttered, clutching his head. He hissed in pain, clutching clumps of grass in his other hand. His mind, his sight was filled with nothing but images of the yellow-eyed snake man. In the background, he heard Sakura call out, "Gaara? Gaara?!"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey! It's my next update! (obviously) Anyways, I'm sorry for the late update. I've kind of been out of it and I didn't have any ideas whatsoever. So I hope you enjoy this chap!**

_Gaara reached out a hand. Was he sleeping? Was this a dream? This kind of feeling was foreign to him. He hadn't slept in so long. He grabbed his head in pain. What was happening to him? Why was this pain coming? Where was it coming from? Just as suddenly as it had happened, it disappeared. Gaara slowly opened his eyes and stood up straight. Ahead of him was an image. His eyes widened just barely a millimeter. It was him when he was around six._

_He'd wanted to play with the other kids, but he was very sickly when he was younger. He could never sleep either, and that only added to his ghostly pale features. He'd stared out, wishing over and over that he was strong enough to join them. He'd never been allowed out of his room, never since birth. The only person who visited him was his uncle…what was his name? Gaara had heard it so many times, but what was it? Sometimes, Gaara believed he saw the smile of his uncle tighten around the edges. Had Gaara done something wrong? But that was no matter. All Gaara wanted was to play, to play with children his own age._

_It was then that he decided one day after his uncle had brought him lunch that he would go outside and ask to play. So he did so, remembering to bring along his only friend since birth: a small brown bear with beady black eyes and a smile on his face._

_Gaara slowly opened the door and looked down both ends of the hallway before scooting out of his room, covering his mouth to stop his cough from exiting. A door down the hallway opened and Gaara froze, pressing himself against the wall, hoping to blend in. A small sigh escaped his lips when his uncle moved across the hallway to another room without looking up from the papers in his hands._

_Little by little Gaara moved towards his front door and quietly opened the door, looking behind him. He rushed outside once the door was opened and closed it shut. The sun hurt his eyes. He shielded them and walked towards the other children, clutching his bear tightly. They were playing with a bright red ball, shouting and laughing. Suddenly, the ball rolled to Gaara, touching his feet. He stooped down and scooped up the ball. His gaze flew up to the other children, a smile playing unsurely on his face._

"_Here you go," he gestured, holding out the ball. The smile was still on his face. It disappeared however when he saw the faces of the other children. Some of them seemed frightened, the girls clutching at each other or hiding behind one of the boys. The older boys had looks of distaste on their face. They spat on the ground when Gaara met their gaze. Gaara was taken aback by the hostility that radiated off of them._

"_What are you doing out here, monster? I thought they'd locked you up for good. Or perhaps, even better, you'd died." One of the older boys sputtered this out cruelly, his eyes hard. _

"_I-I do-don't under-understand," Gaara quivered, dropping the ball. It rolled a little ways away and one of the younger children ran to retrieve it before returning and hiding behind one of the other children's back._

"_Stop trying to act innocent! You know it's because of you that some of our parents died! It's because of you that everyone lost someone they loved a lot! Even your own mother was too ashamed that she died almost right after she gave birth to you!"_

_Gaara was confused. He'd always been told by his uncle that his mother had moved on to a better place. She was a beautiful woman who loved Gaara very much, but had to go away so Gaara could be happy. He'd never really understood this, but if his mother was happy, then so was he. His father, however, he didn't really know much about. All his uncle had told him was that his father was a very powerful man._

"_Aren't you going to say anything, monster?" The older child taunted, his voice mocking. Unlike any of the other children, this child wasn't afraid to speak out against Gaara._

"_Gaara." A sharp voice spoke. Gaara swerved around and the other children looked up. "What are you doing out here, Gaara? You know that you're sick. You could make the other children as well." His uncle grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the house. In a way, Gaara was glad that his uncle had come._

_Inside the house, his uncle brought Gaara to his room. "Gaara, please promise me that you won't try to go outside again. Those children are very bad and they could hurt you, understand?" Gaara nodded wordlessly. Perhaps it was better to stay here. Here no one would call him a monster. He could read and play with his bear. No one could hurt him here._

_Gaara sat on his small bed and his uncle left, leaving Gaara alone with only a little bit of light coming in through the open curtains. He lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, still clutching his bear tightly. Gradually, his eyes closed. He fell into an almost dream-like state, yet it wasn't. Images flashed through his mind. One was of a pink-haired girl with bright emerald eyes. Her hand was out, an angelic smile on her face. "Come on, Gaara, let's go play." she said. _

_Another image, this one of a man, a man with long hair the color of a raven's plumage, his eyes yellow and snake-like. "They don't understand you. You have powers far beyond that of a normal human. Come with me. I can take you away from the darkness, away from this hurt and suffering." _

'_Yes,' Gaara answered. 'I don't want to be in this room any longer, but I-I still want to be with my uncle. I want that boy to disappear, the boy that called me a monster. I want him to disappear forever. But…if I did that, would the girl with hair the color of flowers, would she still be my friend? Would she still play with me?' _

"_No one understands you Gaara, except for me," the snake-man urged. "Not even that girl will understand you. No one in this world will accept you, no one except for me."_

_Another image overtook the man's voice for a second. The image had passed swiftly, but with Gaara's quick eyes, he'd seen the picture. It was an older version of him. He wasn't smiling, but in his eyes, there had been traces of happiness. He was surrounded by friends who were laughing happily, talking and joking. The pink-haired girl sat next to him, smiling at him—him of all people. The others smiled and joked around with him, poking fun at each other. If he chose the pink-haired girl, would this be his future?_

"_So you seek to deny me? Well, I can assure you that sooner or later, you will come to me." The images disappeared and all that was left was darkness._

* * *

"Gaara! Wake up!" He heard a voice plead.

Gaara slowly opened his eyes and shut them again. His brain felt like it was being squeezed tightly in someone's hand. "Damn," he mumbled incoherently.

"Gaara, no swearing," Sakura scolded sharply. "Amarante-chan is here."

Gaara's eyes slowly opened and a smile flitted across his lips. Ever since last year when they'd had to do some stuff at the orphanage, this little girl, Amarante, had befriended Gaara, unafraid of his looks, his cool, impassive face. Amarante was the only little child that Gaara could really tolerate. She was sweet, quiet, observant, and a worry-wart.

"Gaara-niichan, are you okay?" She asked quietly, her purple eyes wide. Gaara nodded and sat up slowly gradually. Amarante gasped. "Gaara-niichan, the nurse said you shouldn't sit up. You could be sick."

"You sure gave us a fright, Gaara." Kiba said, walking into the room. "You almost gave Temari a heart attack."

"Did not," she grumbled, walking in behind him.

"Then why'd you look like a snowman?" Kiba asked smugly.

"Why do you look like a mutt?" Temari countered, smiling triumphantly.

"Would you two please be quiet? You're giving me a headache." Shikamaru walked in, his hands shoved in his pockets as usual.

"Gaara, are you okay?" Ino asked worriedly, her arm loosely intertwined with her boyfriend's. Gaara nodded, standing up.

"So why's everyone here? Shouldn't you all be out in courtyard doing whatever it is Kakashi-sensei is assigning us?" Gaara asked, making his way through the group and out the door.

"There's an obvious answer to that, Gaara. We were worried about you. Friends always worry about each other." Sakura answered, walking quickly to catch up to him.

"Amarante-chan is here, why?" He asked, wanting to know what he didn't. As to the whole deal with adding the suffix -chan to Amarante's name, it was because she didn't like being called anything but that. It made her feel a little bit special, and Gaara obliged, only because he knew what it was like to feel worthless.

"She wanted to see us—you especially—so one of the supervisors dropped her off and we're to drop her back off at the orphanage after dinner. So we were discussing it and we want to take her out to it. We'll all pay of course, and we were wondering if you wanted to come along." Sakura looked at Gaara as they walked into the courtyard, waiting for his answer.

"Please, Gaara-niichan? Please?" Amarante begged softly, coming up beside the pair. She looked at him pleadingly.

"Fine," Gaara mumbled. Amarante cheered and wrapped her small arms around Gaara who in turn awkwardly patted her head. No matter what, Gaara would never get used to such displays of affection.

"Gaara, I'm glad to see you're alright," Kakashi said, coming over, his Icha Icha Paradise book in hand. Gaara nodded. He hated having to nod to all these people. It was making him slightly dizzy. Kakashi looked at Gaara one last time before turning around and heading back to the tree where he was previously sitting.

"So Gaara, has Sakura told you of our dinner plans?" Kiba asked.

"Yep! And he agreed." Amarante answered enthusiastically.

"So whose house are we going to after school?" Hinata asked, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, but huffing a little when it fell back down again.

"Well, I have work today too," Sakura said sheepishly.

"Yes! Muffins and chocolate, here I come!" Ino yelled, pumping her fist into the air.

"You better control that girlfriend of yours Shikamaru," Temari advised. Shikamaru, however, didn't reply. He was too busy looking at the clouds. "You baka, listen to me!"

Gaara watched in silence as they quarreled, laughed and joked around. If he had chosen that man long ago, he wouldn't have been here with his friends. He enjoyed their company more than he had realized before and he was thankful that he had them, surprising as it may seem.

**A/N: I hope you liked it! And I have one request for all my reviewers, people who put my story on alert or favs: please read this one story that I just posted. It's my attempt at Naruto/Hinata. It's called, "To love a demon." Cheesy name, but hey, I'm not good at thinking of titles. Anyways, if you review and stuff, I will love you for all eternity. thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: geez…this took me FOREVER! I'm so, so, so sorry guys! Hopefully this chapter is good enough considering how lazy I've been with updating.**

"What a drag," Shikamaru grumbled to himself as he waited for his girlfriend Ino. He sat in the living room of her house, waiting for her to finish dressing. He, Ino, and the rest of their friends were taking Amarante out for dinner as they had promised. After finishing up their homework at the Rose Café, Ino had insisted that they all go home and change into something formal so they could go to a nice restaurant. They'd never gone to dinner together before, and with Amarante they wanted it to be special. Amarante was like a little sister to all of them, even Gaara who was the coldest of the group.

Amarante had gone home with Hinata who had gotten into sewing. Hinata had been creating outfits for little girls; it was a new hobby of hers that her father approved of. If she was to be a good future wife, she may as well learn how to sew too as her father said.

Beside him sat Sakura, already dressed in an ivory spaghetti-strapped dress that reached her ankles. She had a matching shawl which she had placed around her small shoulders. A small, impatient scowl was on her face. Once in a while, Shikamaru would hear her mutter, "That Ino-pig had better hurry up or else we'll be late." Eventually, after another long half hour of waiting, Ino descended down the stairs. She wore a lavender halter-top dress that brushed the floor.

Ino spun around and asked, "So? How do I look?"

"Good, fine, beautiful. Now let's hurry up before we get in more trouble than we probably already are." Sakura walked towards the door, yelling a good-bye to their parents over her shoulder. As they walked outside to the car, Sakura said, "I'm driving. Knowing either of you, it'll take forever for us to get there, okay?" Sakura left no room for argument as she stepped into her mother's car. Ino sat up front and Shikamaru in back.

"I would've thought that you'd want to finish your book. Aren't you almost done with it?" Ino asked, buckling up. Shikamaru didn't bother. He hated seat belts. With or without them, it didn't matter; he hardly had any trouble with cops and his friends were always picky-picky when it came to driving.

"Well, I am getting to the good part, but it's dark out; I wouldn't be able to see the words. Sure there are the lights which I can turn on, but I'd probably get a headache or something." Sakura began driving down the street. "You have everything, right, Ino? The last time we went out for dinner with okaa-san and otu-san, we had to keep going back to get your things."

Ino turned on a light and shuffled through her purse, muttering to herself, "Lip gloss, wallet, money in wallet, mirror, small brush, barrette…I think that's it." She looked up at Sakura and asked, "You do have your contacts in, right? I don't really feel like getting into an accident tonight."

"Of course I do," Sakura replied. "I'm not that absentminded unlike someone." Her eyes pointedly shifted to Ino who replied, "Well at least I don't have a big forehead like someone we all know."

"And at least I'm not a pig like someone," Sakura said, smirking.

Ino gaped and paused to think. "…Pinkie," she replied. Sakura's smirk turned into a scowl. Ino laughed, knowing she had won. In the back, Shikamaru sighed and stared at the moon which was full and bright. Sakura turned on the radio; the rest of the drive was spent in silence, listening to the soft music.

Once at the restaurant, they walked to a man sitting behind a desk of sorts. He looked up as the approached. "Table for three I assume?"

"We're guests under the name of Hyuuga Hinata." He scanned the names and said, "Yes, Hyuuga-san and her guests have all mostly arrived. You're the last of them I think." He nodded to another man who stood close by. The man led them to the back, the VIP area where already there friends were sitting. Much to their surprise, also there was Itachi, along with Sasuke, Naruto, Tenten, Neji, Lee, and Sai.

"Wow…didn't expect to have this many people here." Ino commented, walking over to sit besides Hinata. Shikamaru followed and sat besides her, instantly picking up a menu. Sakura surveyed the place and noticed that the only place available…was next to Temari…and across…from Itachi. She sighed in relief; as long as she wasn't near Sasuke, everything was okay. As she sat down, Itachi was still staring at the menu. Temari on her other side was doing the same thing: looking at the menu.

"Hey Sakura; I'm surprised you didn't bring a book with you to dinner," Temari said, putting down her menu, a teasing smile on her face.

"Very funny, Temari. It's a nice restaurant so it'd look stupid if I brought a book with me, and I thought that since we're all spending some time together, there wouldn't be time to read anyways." She looked up and down the table. There were 14 people total. Here was the place setting:

**Sakura Temari Gaara Amarante Lee Tenten Neji**

**Itachi Sai Shikamaru Ino Hinata Naruto Sasuke**

"I didn't expect to see you here, Itachi-san," Sakura said, looking over the menu.

"Same here," Itachi replied, setting his down. His blood-red eyes observed her quietly.

"You're staring at me and it's beginning to become most discomforting," Sakura told him, putting down her menu and staring at him questioningly. "Have you found a girlfriend yet? You need to settle down soon or else you'll get too old and no woman will want you."

Itachi scoffed softly. "I highly doubt that, Sakura-san. Even when I'm an old man of 60, women will be turning their heads to look at me, no matter what their age."

"You are really cocky, you know that? I don't believe that would happen. Perhaps they'd turn their heads away from your wrinkles, but that's about it."

"You're simply jealous that I won't be marrying you," Itachi replied, taking a sip of his water.

"What?! Why would I want to marry you? You're like…my big brother! That is utterly disgusting. Of course, you only wish that I could be your wife. I know your train of thought." Sakura smiled at him cheekily.

Itachi made no reply and simply thanked the waiter as he set down his food. Sakura smiled in satisfaction and watched the rest of her friends who conversed with Sasuke's. However, her eyes stopped at Ino and Shikamaru. They were quietly talking to each other which was rather unusual. Had something happened?

"I really like your dress, Ino," Hinata complimented.

"Thanks; yours is beautiful as well," Ino replied with a smile. Besides her she felt Shikamaru tense up. "What's wrong?" She asked, turning to him. From his stance, no one would have guessed that anything was wrong. He was slightly slouching, staring down at the menu. "Shika-kun…what's wrong?" She asked softly, her blue eyes watching him worriedly.

"Crazy person at five o'clock," he muttered, slouching down even farther in his chair. Ino's eyes widened as she slowly sat up.

Shikamaru had a stalker, sort of. The girl went to another school and was a super smarty pants that had heard of Shikamaru's genius. She'd come to the school to challenge him in a battle of wits. Shikamaru, being the lazy butt he was, had rejected the challenge and instead taken to napping. Instead of turning her away, the act had only intrigued her and she'd been following him ever since 7th grade, trying to figure out how exactly the mind of Nara Shikamaru worked.

"Hinata…can you do me a favor? Look over your shoulder, but pretend that you're looking at something, okay? Tell me if there's a tall, skinny girl with long brown hair, ends dyed hot pink, with large brown eyes."

Hinata did as Ino suggested, pretending she was looking at a painting behind her. Hinata slowly turned back around and answered, "Yes, there was a girl that fit your description. She was with a man and woman, most likely her mother and father. Why do you ask?"

"Crap," Shikamaru muttered. "I thought simply being at this dinner was troublesome, but now I have to run away from my crazy stalker as well? Why is the world against me?" He sighed in frustration. "Come on, Ino."

"What?!" She exclaimed. "But we haven't even ordered our food yet," she added, pouting. She'd been looking forward to sitting here for the next hour or so just eating and talking.

"Come on, Ino; I need someone to distract her in case she does see me. You're the best one. Everyone else is preoccupied."

"So? You can use yourself as a distraction when she finds you. You're a genius after all. I'm sure you'll be able to do better on your own."

Shikamaru sighed. He was going to regret doing this. "I'll buy you dinner some time," he mumbled.

"Sorry Shika-kun, but what'd you say?" Ino asked, smiling in glee. Shikamaru was known for being slightly picky when it came to restaurants. That's why he'd suggested this one for tonight. It wasn't commonly known among their friends however; Shikamaru was an over-all laid back guy.

"Forget it," Shikamaru said, standing up. He glanced around and began walking away, not even bothering to push in his chair.

"Shika-kun, get back here!" Ino yelled furiously, grabbing her purse. She bolted upright and ran after him as gracefully as she could in heels. "Nara Shikamaru!" It was finally now that she realized what she'd done. "Oh shit…." She muttered, looking over her shoulder. She ran faster, not caring whether she looked stupid or not. All that was running through her mind was, 'Escape from stalker.'

When she got outside, Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen. Ino growled in annoyance. "That idiot tells me to come with him, but he doesn't even wait for me?" At that moment, a car drove up; the window rolled down.

"What are you waiting for? It's your fault that she's probably going to be coming after us soon. Hurry up unless you want me to leave you here."

"Okay, okay," Ino said, hurrying into the car. "You'd better pick a good restaurant too."

* * *

Sakura watched as Shikamaru and Ino left. What were those two doing? She then noticed Shikamaru's stalker and realized what it was they were running from. Ino had told her about the girl, and was thankful that the girl had never gotten a glimpse of her. What was the girl's name, anyways? Ino hadn't given her that bit of info yet. She then had two thoughts. Shikamaru was going to take her car and he'd actually be able to drive it because Ino had a spare key in her purse. 'They'd better not wreck okaa-san's car or they're dead.' Her second thought: who was going to drive her home?! She almost bolted out of her chair to catch up with them, but Itachi stopped her. 

"My little brother can take you home after this Sakura-san, so don't worry." He said, sipping his water, staring at her calmly (yet again).

Sakura almost blanched. Sasuke taking her home? It'd be a nightmare. Not to mention the fact that they'd be in a car together and there was a better chance of Sasuke getting his questions answered there than anywhere. Then again…maybe she'd be lucky and there'd be other people in the car as well. If only….She seemed to get bad luck whenever she needed the good kind.

All throughout dinner she tried to enjoy herself, but there was a butterfly nervously fluttering in her stomach. As everyone stood to leave, Itachi signaled for Sasuke to come over. Sasuke purposely ignored Itachi at first, continuing to talk with Neji about something. However, after a little bit, and also annoyed with the fact that Itachi wouldn't stop staring, he stalked over.

"What?" He asked crossly, a look of displeasure on his face.

"Take Sakura-san home," Itachi replied simply before walking out the doors to where a limo was waiting for him.

Sasuke stood there, a string of irritation running through him. Just because Itachi told him to do something didn't mean that he'd actually consent. Then again, pinkie wouldn't be able to escape his questioning. 'I guess that's good enough for now.' Sasuke shrugged.

"What are you waiting for, pinkie?" Sasuke asked, already having walked to the doors. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"You mean you're actually going to take me home?" She asked, confusion crossing her face. Her expression then changed to one of anger. "Don't call me pinkie either!"

"Whatever. Just hurry up." Sasuke walked out the doors and to his car, Sakura running behind him, heels clicking on the marble floor.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: sorry for the majorly late update. i hope you guys are NOT disappointed in this chapter's content. please enjoy! **

After entering one of the many Uchiha mansions in Japan, Neji stalked up to his room/office and slammed the door.

Sai looked up the stairs and asked, "What the hell is his problem?" He slid off his suit jacket and threw it onto a bar stool before selecting a type of red wine. He poured himself a glass and sipped it slowly. "Ah, alcohol is good."

Tenten snatched it from his hand and poured the wine down the drain. "Alcohol is bad! You should know that already, Sai. Besides, this stuff isn't for you or any of us. It's Itachi-san's supply, and you know how he can get when others consume his drinks." Sai scoffed and began pouring himself another drink.

"I just finished telling you not to do that!" Tenten snapped, dumping the liquid. "Go shower or something." Sai scowled but consented at least by going to the upper level.

"Hey, Lee, what is wrong with Neji?" Tenten asked, washing, drying, and putting away the glasses. "I know he won't talk to me, but you should know."

"Apparently he was talking with Sasuke and told him that we should be moving on to wherever his next movie is going to be filmed. After all, coming to Japan wasn't just so he could take a break, but participate in his next big public appearance in Osaka. The only reason we've stayed this long was because the director had no objections to our staying more than necessary and the fact that Sasuke wanted to find out more about Haruno-san."

"And Neji doesn't like it when things don't go his way," Tenten sighed in understanding. "He is so mature, yet at times even he has his limitations aka times of immaturity. Sometimes I wonder if I live with a house full of men or children. Anyways, we should just leave him be until tomorrow."

"That is always the smart thing to do. I worry about his youth though. Being burdened with this so many things will only bring him closer to old age." Lee nodded knowingly. He recalled once telling one of his assistants that, but they wouldn't listen and ended up with wrinkles. "Then again…it was quite satisfying seeing those wrinkles on her once perfect features. She wasn't one of my most favorite assistants. That's what one gets for not listening to Rock Lee. Well, goodnight Tenten," he waved, yawning.

"'Night, Lee," replied Tenten, turning off the smaller lights, leaving a few main lights on for Sasuke. "He'd better not be harassing that poor girl, or he'll be in trouble. Being alone in a car with Sasuke…scary." Tenten made her way up the stairs and knocked lightly on Neji's door. She heard a muffled answer and let herself in. "Hey Neji, don't stay up too late or get too stressed out tonight, okay? Oh, and here's a message from Lee: 'Don't take on too many burdens or you'll end up with so many wrinkles that you'd be mistaken for an old man.'" Although he had no reply, she knew he'd heard. Tenten smiled to herself and left quietly.

Neji sighed crossly and leaned back in his chair. Working with Sasuke could be such a bother. He was so self-centered. Neji had his own things that needed to be dealt with before they headed to Europe. He massaged his head and stared at the ceiling. The night sky stared back at him, stars twinkling dimly yet the moon shining brightly. A small smile flitted across his face. Somehow, staring at the sky had always made him feel more peaceful. It reminded him of freedom.

"If I want freedom, then why the hell am I working with an Uchiha?" He asked himself, tiredly running a hand over his face. His thoughts then turned to Hyuuga Hinata. Why couldn't he remember her? Frustration clawed at him. "Oh well, I'll just call her household tomorrow or something. I will never be able to talk one-on-one with her if all her friends are there." Slowly, as time passed by, he fell into a light doze (since he rarely ever fell into a deep sleep). Wispy white clouds filled his head, and slowly they parted, revealing a younger, perhaps five years old, Neji and his father.

* * *

"_Neji, my son, come here." His father beckoned him over with a small smile on his face. "Neji, this is Hinata-sama. Until you are gone from this world, you must watch over her and make sure that no soul harms her." He watched the girl with the small bob of dark purple hair stare at him shyly, a small blush on her face._

* * *

"_You killed him! You killed him! Why did you take him away from me?!" Neji screamed, tears streaming down his face. Before him, sitting around a table, sipping tea, were two men, one old and the other about as young as his father had been. However, he couldn't see their faces, for they were hidden in the dark. Around them were other men half-hidden in the shadows. "Why'd you take him away from me?!" He asked again. But before he could get his answer, one of the men from the shadows stepped out and grabbed his arms, removing him from the room._

* * *

"_Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Boys aren't supposed to cry." A voice chided him softly. He lifted his head and found a girl with chocolate brown eyes staring at him. "Why are you crying?" She repeated. In return, he gave her a cold glare, turning away, quickly rubbing at his face. She followed him and continued to stare at his face. "You have weird eyes." He scowled at her this time and she giggled in return. "But I like them; they're unique. Hey, I have a bento with me. My mama made it for me this morning. Do you want to eat it with me?" She didn't wait for an answer. She simply set the bento on the rock he sat on and began taking the food out. She kneeled on the ground and took out two pairs of chopsticks, breaking hers apart. She began eating, a satisfied grin on her face. Neji turned away from the food, his face downcast. Suddenly his stomach grumbled, and he felt a blush dusting his face. The girl gave another giggle and handed him the chopsticks. "Eat; I'm sure it'll help. I always eat when I'm sad and it helps a lot."_

"_Then why aren't you fat?" He mumbled, picking something out of the box and looking at it warily before popping it in his mouth. He chewed and found it to be extremely appetizing and so continued eating._

"_I always go to my secret place and eat. It gives me exercise. But…it does get kind of lonely because I don't have any friends." It was her turn to look sad as she played with the chopsticks._

"_You're wrong," he said, swallowing a miniature rice ball. "I'm your friend, aren't I?"_

"_You don't seem like the type of person to want me as their friend. Why are you being so nice to me?" She questioned suspiciously, eyeing him as he continued eating out of the bento._

"_You were nice to me, and the only person who has ever acted that way towards me was my father. But…he's gone now. I think he'd want me to be your friend. So…do you want my friendship or not? This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, girl."_

"_My name is Tenten, not 'girl.' What's yours?"_

"…_. It's Neji."_

"_Well, Neji, I'm glad we're friends now. Why don't we meet here again tomorrow? I'll take you to my secret place."_

"_Alright. …Tenten…I'm glad we're friends now, really I am." He gave her an appreciative smile as they continued eating._

* * *

"_Alright, now that you've been split into groups of three, for the next few minutes I want you to share with your new tablemates what your dreams or goals for the future are." The teacher looked at them before signaling them to go. Chatter immediately filled the classroom, some excited and others reluctant._

"_I'll go first," Tenten offered, seeing that neither of her tablemates wanted to go. Neji, she knew, simply didn't want to do it because he thought it was stupid and that no one else needed to know what his future dreams or goals were anyways. The other guy, one with long dark hair framing his face and somewhat flipping out at the ends, she didn't know he was thinking._

_Before she could tell them what her goals/dreams were, the guy with the long hair blurted out, "I want to prove that I can still make my way in the world without the help of my family name. Even though I am a second son and have no chance of becoming heir to my family's line of companies, I want to show that I can become well known throughout the world without depending on my name or family."_

_Tenten stared at the boy, somewhat realizing how close their dreams/goals were. "Well, I want to be just as great as Tsunade-sama. She's my idol; she came from a poor-middle class family and worked her way up in the world. Now, look at her, she's the owner of a large chain of bars and hotels across the world! She's super rich and worked really hard to get there." She nodded a few times before asking, "Are you going to share, Neji?" _

"_This is pointless," he replied in that monotone voice of his, the usual look of boredom on his face._

"_Or perhaps you have no goal in your life," the other boy replied haughtily. "I don't understand what's so pointless in telling others what you want to do with your life."_

_Neji instantly gave him a glare, but the boy refused to back down. "If I told you my goal, what could you possibly do to help?" Neji snarled. "Wasting my breath telling you something that you'll never be involved in in the near or far future is pointless."_

"_It may seem pointless in the future, but the teacher paired us up according to how we would all fit together. I believe that from now until we disappear off this earth, our destinies and futures are intertwined. Perhaps, it will even go beyond that, and we will meet again when we are reincarnated."_

* * *

"_Leave her alone, you schoolyard bullies!" Neji and Tenten looked up from their school books, hardly surprised that Lee, now with a bowl cut, was defending another helpless student. Tenten continued to watch while Neji turned back to his book, neatly writing his answers down on a sheet of paper. Beside him, Tenten winced when one of the bigger bullies punched Lee into the ground._

"_We should help him," she insisted urgently, turning her eyes away from the scene briefly. "Come on, Neji," she urged even more, hearing more punches and kicks._

"_Lee knows what he's getting into when he stands up for other people. We should let him be and do as he likes."_

"_But he's our friend! We don't just stand by and watch him get hurt!" Tenten exclaimed, her book and papers dropping to the ground. She hardly noticed however as she continued to stare at Neji disbelievingly. _

"_Since when has he ever been a friend of mine?" He looked at her calmly for a few seconds before turning back to his work._

* * *

"…_Neji, although we didn't start out on the best of terms, and we are hardly getting any better, I will help you with your goal."_

"_What are you talking about?" Neji asked, staring straight ahead as people parted before him, girls giggling behind their hands and admiring him while boys muttered murderously, jealous how a first year like him could cause such a commotion within the female population._

"_Six years ago, when we were split into trios by the teacher and told to share our future goals, you told me it was pointless to tell me what yours was because I would never be involved in it or perhaps even know you when the time came. However, I have finally decided that I should help you; our fates will continue to intertwine as we get older; it has already begun. You must have noticed this as well." Lee gave him a side look to which Neji ignored._

"_You still believe that our fates are intertwined and will continue to do so?" He asked, an edge of amusement in his tone._

"_Yes," Lee replied seriously, "more so than anything."_

* * *

"_Funny, I never thought I'd see you at a bar, Lee." Neji noted, sitting down and giving his order to a nearby waitress._

"_Tenten told me about it; she said-she said it was one of Tsunade-sama's bars," he slurred slightly, gulping down his drink and waving a waitress over to bring him another one. "Why are you here?"_

"_It's one of the bars I regularly come to when I'm stressed," he said, loosening his tie. "How'd you get in anyways? We're minors."_

"_I should be asking you the same question. Connections," he answered for himself. "I may not be the heir to my family's corporation, but just telling people my name is enough to get me in anywhere." He turned to Neji and unexpectedly said, "I'll help you with your goal if you help with mine."_

"_Depends on what I have to do and what I get in return." Neji replied, swirling the contents of his drink._

"_Both men and women are attracted to you, despite your lack of a real personality. I seem to not have that ability, and I still cannot understand how you do. At my father's next party, which will be two weeks from now, you will attend as one of my companions and try to convince the higher-ups to acknowledge me. I can work the rest from there once we begin talking. In return, as I said, I will help you with your goal, however long it may take. I will even go beyond that if my way of life improves even more."_

"_Hm…is that all…? …Well, how will I know who the higher-ups are?"_

"_You will recognize them immediately, believe me. They are not hard to miss. Also, my father never bothers with anyone who isn't on the same level with him, so it doesn't matter who you approach or vice versa. Taking it a step further, these men may even help __you__ with your goal."_

"…_Two weeks from today, you said?"_

* * *

"_Neji, I'm nervous," Tenten muttered, toying with her dress. She hated wearing these things; always had and always would. However, she couldn't really turn Neji down when he'd asked, in that almost indecipherable way of his, whether or not she wanted to attend Lee's father's event with him. He'd asked her almost two weeks ago, and she hadn't figured it out until yesterday; she spent today shopping for a dress which took forever, not to mention all the shoes and accessories that she'd had to go through. It was a nightmare, one that she'd never wanted to go through again. She'd even relayed it to Neji who simply "hm'd" throughout the whole thing._

"_Why are you nervous? All you have to do is stand there and smile at people. I'm the one that will have to do all the talking." Neji muttered in reply as they boarded the empty elevator._

"_That's just it! I'd prefer talking to old men than standing around like a statue attached to your arm, smiling at old men I don't know. It's weird! Why don't I do the talking instead?" She asked hopefully._

"_Tenten, in these sort of upper class get-togethers, men do all the talking with other men while women idly stand by either talking to other women or waiting to be spoken to. Please try to understand this."_

"_But it sounds so boring," she groaned._

"_Then you could've declined my offer," Neji answered smartly as they got off the elevator. "Ready?" He asked as Tenten sighed, putting her arm around the crook of his elbow._

"_I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?" She sighed again, putting on a small smile as they entered the large ballroom._

* * *

_Neji and Tenten were exiting the ballroom, finished with what Neji was assigned with. Lee had been left happily talking and expressing his ideas to some interested old men of "very good companies" he'd told them. However, as they were about to board the elevator, they heard a small derisive laugh echoing down the hallway. Tenten, intrigued and slightly disgusted by the horrid sound, led Neji down there and both were surprised to see Lee and a woman talking. He was sitting on a cushioned bench while the girl stood in front of him, a sneer on her face. Golden blonde hair cascaded down her back and dark gray eyes looked down mockingly at the man before her._

"_Did you really, seriously believe that I'd ever love a loser like you? No one will love you as long as you are a second son, as long as you have a brother as handsome and charming as that. I was simply using you to get closer to your family, to your brother. You really are a simpleton as everyone says." She gave another laugh before stalking down the hallway, opposite of where Neji and Tenten had come from. Perhaps there was another entrance on the other side._

_Much to Tenten's surprise, and his own, Neji yelled, "You're despicable. You think that you're all that simply because you supposedly made Lee fall head over heels in love with you. He's chuckling to himself now as we speak because you're going to be exploited as the whore-fraud you are. He doesn't point out that you're the one who's been fooled because he's too kind and soft-hearted for that. I, however, might as well do it now. Can I, Lee?" To this, Lee gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Neji smirked in satisfaction. "Tenten, give me your phone." Tenten shuffled through her purse, taking out her phone and handing it to Neji, a confused expression on her face. "On this phone is exactly what you just told Lee. Exposing this to his father, mother, and brother will put you in a bad position. Now, apologize to Lee."_

_The woman scoffed and said, "What does it matter? My family is already down in the dumps so what does it matter if they get any lower?"_

"…_You hurt Lee…" Neji said quietly so she couldn't hear. "For what you did, we'll make sure your face is permanently disfigured. After all, higher-ups can do as they please to the vermin that crawl beneath their feet." He gave a cold, murderous smirk which only grew larger as she backed away in fear._

"_You-you don't--you don't scare me! You're just faking it! Who the hell are you anyways?!"_

"_Oh, but I do frighten you, very much so." _

"_If-if you're going--if you're going to hurt me, then bring it! I can always report you to the authorities!"_

"_Didn't I tell you, little girl," Neji began softly, "that the higher-ups can do as they please to vermin that crawl beneath their feet? Well you are a piece of filth on the bottom of my shoe; no matter what kind of story you give the authorities, my money and power will win in the end." _

"_Yeah, well you just wait until I become wife of the heir to Lee Corp.! You'll regret threatening me, you and Lee both! I'll put you in your place with the trash on the streets! I don't care if I have to drug Lee's brother! I will be his wife! What do you say to that now?!" She breathed triumphantly, her chest heaving from all the yelling._

"_I guess I won't have to exert myself. Thank you for confessing, little girl." He gave another smirk, his eyes flickering over her shoulder. She instantly froze and slowly turned around. Standing there was none other than Lee's father, Hiro, mother, Kaori, and Uchiha Fugaku, along with his sons._

"_I told you she was trying to worm her way into our family," Kaori said softly to her husband, her eyes trained on the woman. "Now, may I have the pleasure of throwing her in jail?" Hiro said nothing; he was only shaking in anger. Kaori took this as an affirmative and pulled a cell phone from her bag. "Hello, I'd like some officers to come to the ballroom hallway; there is a distasteful stain in this hallway, and it's really beginning to bother me. Yes, please hurry up. It was, after all, trying to bring harm to my family." She put the phone away with a satisfied smile on her face. "Lee, love, let us go back to the party." She said, walking over to him and gently placing a hand on his shoulder. _

"_I think I'll stay out here a little longer with my friends, if you don't mind mother. I will be in there soon enough."_

"_Alright. Why don't the rest of us head back then?" She walked past the woman whose mouth was agape. She was still in shock from the fact that she'd been found out and would be going to jail. Kaori ushered her husband and their guests back to the ballroom; while she did so, she threw a small sneer in the woman's direction. Not long afterwards, officers came rushing up, arresting the woman while Neji and Tenten stood to the side._

"_Thank you Neji, Tenten," Lee said after the officers had left with their convict in tow. "If you had not arrived, she probably would've become my sister-in-law."_

"_It was no problem," Tenten grinned. "Of course, it was all Neji's idea. I don't even think he knew what he was doing."_

"_Let us never have a situation like that again. However, it seems that you may have your uses after all, Lee."_

"_Neji!" Tenten scolded._

"_Yes, and you have yours as well. I told you that our destinies would intertwine, and you see how it has come true?" Neji turned his face away, his way of acknowledging that yes, he really had begun noticing it. _

_Tenten laughed in the background and said, "I think we're all going to be friends for a long time. That's good."_

* * *

A loud pounding on the door broke through the silence. Neji snapped awake, scowling and rubbing the back of his neck. "Come in." 

The door opened and Lee stepped through, announcing, "It's time for breakfast. Beware, however. Tenten cooked some of it, as did Sai. I suggest you politely decline and find something actually edible. If you cannot get away with that, choose Sai's food. Oh, were you sleeping?"

"Yes," Neji answered crossly, "but it was in an uncomfortable position."

"What did you dream of?"

"Not exactly dreams, just memories."

"Ah…yes, memories are good, depending on the content. Anyways, come eat. Sasuke is home, and Tenten is pestering him about it. Join in it when you get down; we could always use one of your sarcastic, dry-humored comments. It is quite fun to tease Sasuke…although I sincerely wished that it was me who drove the cherry blossom beauty home. However, our destinies are probably not going to lead towards that. We may end up as good friends while she and Sasuke will become lovers." He shrugged. "Then again, I could always be wrong. One misstep and fate changes dramatically."

"You still believe things like that?" Neji asked, standing up and stretching.

"Yes, I do. I was right about yours, mine, and Tenten's fates coming together. We are all here together, are we not?"

Neji turned his face away, crossing his arms. Lee laughed, knowing it was his sign of acknowledgement, the sign that stated Lee was right. Lee also knew that trouble was coming, and it would cause a terrible storm. As people said, this was only the calm before the storm.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm so, so, so sorry I haven't updated in a while! I really, really hope you haven't forgotten about me. In some of my other stories, I think I've been forgotten about! (for a little while at least) T-T please review and make me happier! But anyways, enjoy the chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't any of Naruto. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Sasuke stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him. He growled to himself, grumbling slightly. Why did everyone have to make such a big deal about him driving the pink-haired girl home? It wasn't as if he, or ever would be, he added to himself, attracted to her. She was too skinny with too wide of hips and almost nonexistent breasts. What was she? A size triple A or something? And her forehead…it was huge, and her hair was pink for Kami-sama's sake.

He practically shoved a CD into his stereo, instantly relaxing as the sound of a violin pierced through the thick atmosphere. He kept it at a low volume, listening to the decrescendos, vibrato, and pure emotion woven into the music. The second one that came was accompanied by a piano, but was no less extraordinary. While listening, he did as always, marveled at how wonderful the style of music was. The violinists sounded so flawless; he wondered how much work it had taken for them to reach such a level. Sometimes he wondered if his skills as a violinist were still bubbling beneath the surface.

When he was younger, his mother had signed Itachi up for private violin lessons. Of course, Itachi had greatly accelerated through the levels and had soon gone beyond the skills of his teacher. As always with siblings, or at least with him, Sasuke wanted to play violin after hearing how great Itachi sounded. So he'd begun taking lessons; he hadn't gone through as quickly as his brother, and he didn't sound as beautiful as Itachi had, but he was proud of his week-to-week improvement. He always became disheartened, however, after hearing his brother play in a concert or flawlessly go through a piece with a quick upbeat tempo and fast notes. After being compared over and over, he quit, hiding his violin away.

He tapped his long ivory fingers on the ebony wood desk, wondering which house he'd left the violin in.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!" Naruto burst through the door, his face full of excitement.

"How many times do I have to remind you to knock, dobe?" Sasuke said, turning off the stereo.

"Let's play some tennis or something. I feel like kicking your ass today!" He was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, pure, childish excitement on his face. Beating Sasuke and rubbing it in his face was one thing he lived for.

"You wish. I'm ultimately superior compared to you," Sasuke replied arrogantly. Naruto puffed out his cheeks before scoffing with a sour look on his face.

"I bet I can beat you. I've been practicing," Naruto announced proudly.

"Like that'll really help your cause in any way," Sasuke replied, turning his attention to something other than Naruto.

"Hey, don't ignore me, you bastard! Are you just scared that I'll beat you and you'll lose your so-called superiority?" Naruto grinned evilly, remembering the few times he'd beaten Sasuke in something. Yep, that had been a good week. Sasuke had been so pissed. Now that he thought about it, Lee had recorded all the events, hadn't he? Naruto almost laughed out loud when he also remembered that Lee and Tenten had secretly recorded Sasuke's reactions to losing after the events had happened, during the times when he thought he'd been alone. He hadn't seen those tapes in a while, come to think of it.

"Afraid of you?" Sasuke's voice brought Naruto back to reality and the situation at hand. "Don't make me laugh, Naruto. The day you beat me will…" he pondered for a second, "…be the day I fall for someone."

"Like Haruno Sakura, you mean?" Naruto asked innocently. "After all, we know you supposedly hate her now and will fall for her later...maybe even literally," he muttered the last part to himself with a chuckle. "Since I've already beaten you before, that means you'll be head-over-heels in love with her someday soon, right?"

"You haven't beaten me before," Sasuke muttered darkly. He had a habit of pushing bad things he didn't want to remember towards the back of his memories, so the fact that he'd lost to Naruto numerous times was lost. "If you did, I'd probably remember so I could kick your ass twice as bad the next time you brought up one of your ridiculous ways to beat me."

"Oh, yes, I have beaten you before. I have solid proof. You know what they're called, Sasuke? Videos. Taped by our ever famous duo, Tenten and Lee. Want me to find them? Huh? Huh? Want me to find them? We can watch them tonight with popcorn, sodas…oh, and candy too! It'll be surround sound with the biggest screen TV we have and with the super duper comfy chairs. Yep, doesn't that sound like fun?" Naruto looked at Sasuke and was almost overjoyed to find him seething. Haruno Sakura must've been a testy subject for him, considering he rarely ever lost his cool.

"Naruto, can you stop being a dobe for once and leave me alone?"

"No, no, I had a reason for coming up here. Get rid of your freaky fan girls. They're blocking the gates, and I want to go buy some doughnuts. Go do some running. I think you're getting fat." Another grin crossed Naruto's face. Today really was a good day for him.

"Why don't you get rid of them then? Leave me alone." Sasuke demanded again, swerving around in his chair. He didn't want to see Naruto's face; it was really starting to piss him off, and he should be used to seeing that face after who know how many years of…he detested the word…friendship.

"Why should I? They're your fan girls. I can't help it if yours are psychotic and mine are much quieter with how much they admire me and all my greatness."

"You're really into bloating your ego, aren't you? The only reason yours are quieter is due to the fact that they don't exist. It's all in your head, Uzumaki." Sasuke tapped his temple lightly without bothering to turn around.

"Sasuke," said Naruto, suddenly serious, "get rid of your fan girls or…."

"You'll what? They'll never believe anything you tell them." Sasuke said offhandedly, chin in hand as he boredly twirled a pencil between his fingers.

Naruto's evil chuckle should've brought on some warning bells in Sasuke's head, but he decided to ignore them. There was no way Naruto could threaten him. Until… "I'll make copies of your baby pictures, all of them, naked or not, and I'll distribute them to all your fan girls." And if that weren't enough…. "I'll call your mother and tell her you've already chosen a fiancé named Haruno Sakura, and you guys are getting married in the spring. And that she should be expecting a grandchild in early summer."

Sasuke bolted out of his chair, the pencil dropping to the floor with a muffled clatter. He turned to Naruto, eyes blazing. "You can't do that! Give me those pictures, you baka! And don't even think of telling my mother those false lies! I don't even like that," he shuddered, "Haruno Sakura." He spat out her name as if it was a bad word.

"Then get rid of your fan girls, Sasuke. I want some doughnuts." Sasuke stood there, glaring at his so-called best friend, wondering if he should give in this one time. Naruto would end up rubbing in his face the fact that he'd given in, but was giving up his pride worth the humiliation?

"Damn it, Naruto," he muttered, his gaze filled with murderous intent. Naruto only grinned back cheekily in return, wanting to piss Sasuke off even more and make the decision that much harder. Sasuke knew he was going to regret this decision later, but that was later. Now was now. He sat down in his chair, his face a calm façade. "Do your worst, Naruto. I don't give a damn about you or your stupid doughnuts. You'll only make me more popular. And besides, Haruno's still sixteen; she's underage." He smirked at his cleverness.

Naruto shook his head. "Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke, don't you remember that women are allowed to marry once they turn sixteen? Since she's sixteen and you're eighteen, you're considered an adult already so it's not that hard for you guys to marry. Look, it works out perfectly. Since it's…September now, you should get going on that baby with Sakura-chan. Or you could get to know her and then have a baby with her next month or something. It has to go with what I'm going to tell your mom. You got all that written down, Sasuke?"

As Naruto had revealed the second part to Sasuke, his calm poker face had slowly begun disintegrating, and he now realized the extent of his decision.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll make sure Tenten and all of Sakura-chan's other friends help with planning the wedding. Girls are good at that kind of stuff, aren't they? All you have to worry about now is getting Sakura-chan to actually agree. So you better stop being a bastard to her and get her to start liking her. You can start tomorrow since we have to go to the school and be student teachers for Sakura-chan's class." He paused, blinking a few times. "What am I doing? I have to start making copies of your baby pictures, and then I should get Tenten to call your mom about your wedding and baby. I've told her too many lies to be believed anymore. Bye, Sasuke!" Naruto gave a wave before bolting out of the room, shutting the door quickly and locking it with a key.

"Naruto, you baka, get back here!" Sasuke ran for the door but couldn't open it in time. Naruto had already locked it. He sighed in frustration, banging his fists against the door. He knew he should've changed it from a lock outside to a lock inside. "Damn you, Naruto. You are so dead when this is over." He walked over to his phone and picked it up, but the line was dead. He moved to his bathroom, remembering there was a window in there. To his horror, one of the workers was barring his window. The man gave him an apologetic grin before climbing down the ladder. Sasuke stomped out of the room, clenching his fists.

"Naruto, you bastard! You are so dead!" He grumpily sat down in his chair, his fists still clenching and unclenching.

Down a level, Naruto was chuckling to himself. Yes, today was a good day.

* * *

While Naruto and Sasuke were battling fiercely in the Uchiha household, Neji was sitting in a limo, adjusting the suit he wore. He wanted to get down to the mystery of Hyuuga Hinata. Unlike Sasuke, when he wanted to know something, he didn't stop until he knew the answer. Now Neji was visiting the Hyuuga household, courtesy of the files they'd found a few days ago. She could, after all, lead to his goal—finding out his past. 

"We're here, Hyuuga-san," the driver up front said.

"Thank you," Neji replied, stepping out. He brought up a hand to block the sun from his eyes, moving towards the house. He stopped at the edge of a garden that led to the entranceway of the house.

A woman emerged from the house, wearing a golden-brown and red kimono with her hair pulled up and away from her face which was lined with laughter lines. Her hair was peppered with gray, but her eyes were a bright amber-brown. She bowed before him. "Hello, how may I help you?"

"If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to speak with Hyuuga Hinata-san, please." Neji replied, bowing back formally.

"And who are you, may I ask? Hinata-sama did not say that she would be having any guests today." She asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

"I'm an acquaintance of hers from school, recently transferred from America."

"That could explain why I have never seen you before. What is your name?"

"Neji," he replied, deciding that was the best way of answering. Until he knew for sure in what way he and Hyuuga Hinata were connected, it would best not to reveal his surname.

She froze at the name but cleared her throat and began speaking. I'm sorry, but Hinata-sama is out at the moment. I could relay a message to her if you wish it."

"No, that's fine. I'd rather speak with her in person, perhaps another time. Thank you." He gave another slight bow and turned around. Coming towards him and the woman was Hinata, dressed in a white kimono with a lavender peony patter and obi. Small white clips were placed in her short hair to keep it out of her face. Another older woman walked with her, talking; she wore a kimono as well, a dark red one with a white pattern.

She looked up from where she was walking, and her eyes widened slightly. "Hello, Hyuuga-san," Neji greeted with a bow, his eyes trained on Hinata's face.

"Oh-y-yes, hello, Neji-sensei." She replied, stuttering slightly. It seemed that she, too, hadn't expected him.

"You know this man, Hinata-sama?" The woman asked nervously, her expression worried.

"Yes; he is a student teacher at my school. You can leave us, Harumi-san. Neji-sensei, follow me please." She began walking through the garden to the side of the house. He followed after her, glancing over his shoulder at the two women who watched them anxiously, whispering to each other. Apparently they knew something about him that he didn't know. He almost walked past Hinata who had settled herself, so lost in thought was he.

"Would you like any tea?" She asked when he sat down. Already there was a tray of teacups and a kettle.

"No, that's fine. I just wanted to talk with you." He watched as she sipped the tea, shaking slightly. He cleared his throat and began talking again. "Hyuuga-san, I have some questions. Will you answer them for me?"

"Uh, um, alright." Hinata replied, putting down her teacup. She bit her lip, hoping he was there to simply ask more about the town and school. She didn't want to be the one to relay his past to him.

"Good," Neji replied, satisfied that he would get some answers. Now it was simply asking them in a subtle way so she wouldn't freak out. If that happened, his coming to see her would've been nothing but a waste of both of their time.

"Hyuuga-san, the first time we met in Rose Café, my friend Naruto asked you whether or not we were related. You never got to answer his question; he was rather busy today and couldn't come himself. I figured since the question concerned me, it would make more sense if I came instead of another one of my friends. He was furthermore curious as to how we're related." It wasn't the cleverest way of disguising a question, but using Naruto instead of himself was something, wasn't it? It was believable, and that was all that mattered really.

"Uh, um, w-w-well, that is, um." Hinata stuttered nervously, twiddling her thumbs. She bit her lower lip, unsure as to whether or not she should answer the question. She'd sworn a long time ago that if she ever came in contact with Hyuuga Neji, she would avoid him at all costs, and if they ever did come face-to-face, she would avoid revealing his past to him. After all, telling him would only bring him pain and danger to the main branch of the Hyuuga family.

"Hyuuga-san?" Neji asked, watching the battle that persisted on her face. He could tell she was struggling with her answer, something that was never too good. Even without that though, the annoying way she was twiddling her thumbs and biting her lip was starting to irk him. He folded his arms, clenching and unclenching his fist, trying to let go of the irritation that was brimming at the surface.

She suddenly bolted up, alert. "Uh, um, I-I-I'm sorry." She bit her lip, her thoughts turning back to the situation at hand. If she told him, her father would be extremely angry with her, but Neji deserved to know. He did have a point in saying that it concerned him, however. "Well, um, Hyuuga-san, well, you see, it-well, it goes like this. You're--"

"Hinata!" Both Hyuugas looked up to find Hinata's father standing nearby, further down the hallway. His glare, although far away, was intense. "Hinata, return to your room. I will speak with you later." With a slight reluctance, Hinata stood and moved down the opposite way, disappearing around the next corner.

Before Neji knew it, Hyuuga Hiashi was standing before him, his lips tight. "I do not know how you got so far into my household, but I will kindly ask you to leave. Please do so now, and refrain yourself from staying in contact with my daughter in the future."

Neji stood stiffly and gave a small bow, not entirely used to being ordered around. Walking away, he began cursing himself. He'd almost gotten an answer. If Hinata's father had come even a few seconds later, he may have received some sort of answer. Yet wouldn't that have led to more questions? 'Then again,' he thought to himself, 'if she hadn't spent so much time twiddling her thumbs and being so hesitant, there would've been to trouble. How annoying.'

As he stepped into the limo, he thought. He needed to get Hinata alone again, but something told Neji she would be watched at school as well as himself. If his companions would try and talk with her, that would seem suspicious as well. A few minutes of thinking finally led him to an idea. If he were able to get a hold of Itachi, they would have Sakura's cell phone number. Using that, they could tell her ahead of time that they would be having a party at the Uchiha mansion, inviting their class and teacher. It seemed reasonable enough. Besides, it was nearing Naruto's birthday. That could further be used as an excuse, and only those with invitations would be allowed in. Personal guards would not be needed because there would be enough of their own guards to keep out fan girls and other pests like that. It was perfect. And Naruto would be happy since he'd taken an interest in the Hyuuga girl.

When they reached the house, Neji felt a little proud of himself. He'd quickly devised another plan to reach his goal. He didn't care what he would do with the information he was presented so long as he got an answer to which family he belonged in. After being alone for so long and then being adopted into Lee's family only a few years ago, he wanted a real blood connection to someone. Although no one, besides perhaps Tenten, realized that Neji was like other people and wanted a family, however wrecked or strange it was, a family would be nice. When he was younger, he'd grown good at hiding his feelings. He'd yearned to be like other kids and have a mother or father to scold him, make him lunch, or come along on trips outside of the city. Being passed from one place to another like a mere object had brought a strange sense of loneliness and worthlessness.

Neji shook his head slightly, trying to rid himself of past feelings. Dwelling in the past wasn't good. 'But,' he thought, 'isn't trying to find out more about your past dwelling in your past?' He answered himself. "It is, but this is something I've wanted to know my entire life, ever since my father disappeared. I just want to know this one thing about my past, and that's all. After that, I'll move on with my life."

"But will you? That is the question." He looked up, slightly startled. Lee stood near the garage door, a towel around his neck, water bottle in hand, about to open the garage door and step into the house.

"What are you doing?"

"I just finished my laps around the neighborhood," Lee shrugged, stepping out of his shoes and into a pair of slippers. Neji followed after, asking, "And you didn't get mobbed by fan girls? Amazing."

"I almost did, but I know some secret ways around. It helped me get more exercise, really. You should join me one day to help relieve yourself of some invisible stress you build up for yourself."

"No thanks, Lee." 'Now, how to bring up the subject of the party. If I suggested it, it doesn't seem like something I would say. Everyone would be suspicious of my actions if I suddenly said, "Let's have a party." Little did Neji know, he'd make the suggestion out loud.

"A party sounds fantastic. Are you thinking about having one for Naruto? I'm sure that would make him feel good. Oh, we could invite Haruno-san and all her friends. We should invite the entire class and their teacher so it doesn't seem like we're favoring just them. What do you think? Oh, this is a great addition to our Bank of Youth. I'll talk to Tenten about this. I'm sure she'll want to help as well." Lee rushed away then, childish excitement radiating off of him.

Neji sighed, wondering how he'd ended up knowing such people. 'Oh well, at least the idea has been introduced. Now I just have to wait for things to get going and then I'll finally have my answer.' As he searched through the refrigerator for a juice or something he wondered if Sasuke had gotten answers to his questions. 'Then again, the baka could always call Itachi and ask him how he and Haruno know each other. But he just has to be stubborn and make things more complicated. If there's an easier way to get answers, take it.'

However, he figured that Sasuke hadn't gotten his answers, considering the fact that he could hear the sound of violins even through the sound-proof walls of Sasuke's office. He raised an eyebrow as he passed Naruto's room, hearing maniacal laughter. Again he asked himself, 'How did I ever end up knowing such people?'

**A/N: some of you might be wondering, "Can girls actually marry when they're sixteen in Japan?" I don't know for sure, but i used that fact from Cardcaptor Sakura. I don't know if it still applies.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: T-T I feel so stupid! I was reading over this story to understand what I've done already and what I need to do so I don't make mistakes, but I've already made a major one! If any of you remember, the story was supposed to have been in November since Christmas was coming up, but Naruto's birthday is in October! Everything's so messed up! But okay, just to make things clear, it's late September, okay? Thanks for bearing with me, and please review. I think everyone's forgotten my story! T-T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Hey, Sakura, did you get a text from Ten Ten-san, asking if we could attend a party for Naruto-san? I just got one on my cell." Ino peered into Sakura's room, only to find her bookworm-of-a-sister sitting on her bed reading manga and listening to music. She was humming softly, self-consciously moving her head with the music. On her nightstand, Ino could see her phone blinking on and off, most likely with the unread text message.

"Earth to Sakura!" Ino called, grabbing Sakura's book.

"Hey!" Sakura protested, taking out her headphones. She tried to reach her book, but Ino hid it behind her back. Sakura leaned back in the bed, sulking. She crossed her arms and asked, "What is it?"

Ino looked at Sakura for a few seconds, making sure she was listening. "Okay, I just got a text from Ten Ten-san asking if we wanted to attend a party for Naruto-san. Apparently his birthday is coming up soon, and they want to have a party for him. I haven't asked Mom and Dad yet. I wanted to make sure you were invited as well. There's no way I'm going to a party without my sister."

"Um, let me check," Sakura replied, picking up her phone. She flipped it open and went through her messages. There was one from Temari, asking about a history assignment, another from Gaara asking what she wanted for Christmas, and the last one was from Ten Ten, asking if she wanted to attend a party they'd be holding for Naruto the following weekend.

"I think we could attend. We aren't doing anything next weekend, and I don't think Mom and Dad will mind," Ino replied, seeing that Sakura had received the same message.

Sakura bit her lip before hesitantly replying, "Yeah, but don't you think Mom and Dad will be suspicious if they find out that the ones inviting us are student teachers? I mean, student-teacher relationships outside of school are kind of…not…good."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I mean, of course I thought of that before anything else as soon as I got the message. I texted as many people as I could and found out that our entire class has been invited, including our teachers. So I think that with that sort of information, Mom and Dad might actually let us go. Imagine!" Suddenly Ino's eyes seemed to shine brighter, and it reminded Sakura of when the characters in her manga would grow hearts in their eyes. "We're going to be in the house of Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi! We're going to be walking down the same hallways and stairs that they did, sit in their same chairs, and even use the same bathrooms they did! Everywhere will be covered with them!"

At this thought, Sakura simply felt sick to her stomach. She shuddered just thinking about it. Really…her sister could be so strange sometimes. And besides, Uchiha Sasuke wasn't all he seemed to be. No…cross that thought out…he was an annoying, arrogant kind of guy. Of course, Sakura could think of a whole nother list of adjectives to describe him, but doing so would take forever.

"Sakura! Sakura, are you listening to me? I'm going to ask Mom and Dad if we can attend the party, okay? Maybe we can go shopping after school tomorrow or something. You don't have to work, do you?"

"Um, I'm not sure. Ami-san has been running out of workers. They haven't been all that good, so she might call me after school to help out. But as far as I know, I don't have anything planned. No, wait; I have a few club activities after school. Sorry, Ino."

"What club activities?" Ino asked, confusion written all over her face. "I didn't know you joined any clubs."

"Yes, I did just recently, actually. Joining clubs in high school will look good on a college résumé."

Ino walked back into the room and sat on the foot of Sakura's bed. She crossed her legs and asked, "So are you going to tell me what clubs you joined or are you really going to wait until I ask again?"

Sakura gave a small laugh. "Well," she began, fiddling with her blanket, "I joined the orchestra since, well, you know how much I enjoy playing the cello. The orchestra this year is actually very good. I'm really excited; Igarashi-sensei gave us a hard piece to begin with for our winter concert. And I also joined the Book Club that meets in the library every Monday and Thursday. I think it'll be interesting discussing all sorts of genres of books and manga. Oh, and Hinata asked if I wanted to join the sewing club with her. I've never sewn anything before, so I think it'll be an interesting experience. Lately I've been sketching dresses, and maybe if I get good enough I'll be able to design one of my fantasy dresses."

Ino watched her sister, worry fading from her mind. Lately Sakura had been a little strange, but with the whole issue concerning Uchiha Sasuke, things had become for interesting for Sakura. Perhaps these clubs were something that Sakura really needed to ease her mind.

"Well…I'll come to the sewing club meeting as well. I think designing your own clothes would be fun." Ino shrugged.

"Yeah, it will be. But it'll probably be really frustrating at first. Oh, Ino, since you're here, I was wondering if you could listen to the solo I'm working on for the winter concert. I think I sound fine, but I need someone else to give me their opinion."

"Sure. I don't have anything to do, really. Well, actually, while you're doing that, I'm going to ask Mom and Dad if we can go to Naruto-san's birthday party." Sakura nodded, putting away her book and iPod. She removed her cello from its case in the corner and pulled out a metal folding stand from underneath the bed. She walked towards the closet and pulled out a folding chair to sit on. Sakura searched through her backpack for the pages of music she'd recently gotten. Although she hadn't had the music for long and there were a few things she was really awful at, it'd be good to hear what Ino thought. At least with Ino, she was truthful.

She rosined her bow and began tuning. Even after that, Ino still hadn't come back yet. She began warming up with a few scales to get back into the feeling of playing her cello.

"I don't understand why you need any reassurance as to how good you are." Ino teased. She'd been standing in the doorway listening to Sakura. It was at times like this that she really envied Sakura. Sure, Ino was more fashion forward, but Sakura was more of a people person, and that mattered much more. After all, Sakura had befriended Gaara. That was enough to nominate her for the Nobel Peace Prize or something.

Sakura laughed back nervously. "No, I'm not that good. There's still always someone better. Masami-senpai is just a little better than I am. If I practiced more, maybe I'd be better, but I'm not all that sure. Now, come on; I want to play this movement for you." Ino sat on the bed across from Sakura who comfortably sat in the folding chair. Sakura did one last minute tune up of her instrument before taking a deep breath. "Now, mind you, this isn't perfect."

"Don't worry, Sakura," Ino replied reassuringly. "It's not like I'm judging you or anything. I'm just here to listen and give my opinion. I'm sure you'll do fine."

Sakura took another deep breath and played another scale to help calm her nerves. Even if it was just Ino, playing in front of someone else by herself was nerve-wracking. Feeling that she was okay and not wanting to waste anymore of Ino's time, she began the movement.

Ino listened in amazement, wondering how Sakura had gotten so good. Perhaps she practiced at school a lot? Ino didn't think that Sakura really practiced much at home. Unless her walls were soundproof, Ino hadn't heard any cello music from her room.

The last note rang through the room. Sakura sat there for a minute, poised in the position she'd ended in. She lowered her bow and began going over what she'd missed. She took out a pencil and made notes to herself on what she should improve. She marked sharps and flats, key changes, time changes, easier fingerings, bowings, dynamics, and accents. She had the basic concept, she guessed, but it was all the little details and fixings before she'd be able to actually get it. Her eyes lifted up for a brief second, and she realized that Ino was still in the room. Sakura had been so caught up in her music that she'd forgotten Ino was in there with her.

"Um…so…what did you think…?" Sakura asked, setting down her pencil.

"That was really good. I mean, there were some parts where you messed up and maybe a little spot here and there where a note sounded kind of out there, but other than that, I think it's pretty good considering you've probably only had it for a few days."

"Really? Wow, well, thanks Ino. Maybe I'll practice a little bit more. There are some parts that I really have to fix or it'll irritate me to death. You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I wouldn't want to bore you."

"Nah. Listening to you play is entertaining in a weird way. I guess it's because I'm not musical that I'm so amazed. But…something tells me that even if I were, I'd still be in shock." Sakura smiled. Knowing her sister, she was probably just bored and wanted something to do. "Oh, and before I forget, Mom and Dad said we could go to Naruto-san's party. We'll just go shopping after the club tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah," replied Sakura, already beginning on the parts she'd missed.

* * *

Strangely enough, the next day at school, Sasuke and co. weren't at school being 'student teachers' like they were supposed to be. Instead, they were at a meeting, one for Sasuke's next movie actually.

"What did you just say?" Sasuke asked testily. What kind of joke was this? The whole world really was against him. But this really had to be a joke. It wasn't funny, but it had to be one.

"Well, Sasuke-san," the director began nervously, "Naruto-san revealed some interesting information to us. Originally we were going to have you star in the film with Takashi Kimi-san, but with what we were told, we thought it'd be more authentic if we used your girlfriend. And Neji-san even reassured us that you would feel more comfortable if she was around."

"Oh…did they…?" He shot a murderous glare at Naruto who only smiled back and then one at Neji who looked back at him with calm eyes.

"Uh, um, Sasuke-san, we even went to the extent of asking your family. Your mother was delighted, and your brother even said the same thing as Neji-san. Your father wasn't particularly happy on the fact that your relationship would be revealed through the film, but he said it's better than through gossip columns." The director stopped and bit his lip, hesitating on what he'd say next. "If you could contact Haruno-san for us and ask for her participation, then it could help us with perfecting a few things before the shooting. Naruto-san added that she'd accept only if you called her because she's very shy. After that, however, we could contact her parents."

"Well, I unfortunately don't have her number with me at the moment, and she's probably in the middle of class anyway."

"I have her number," Tenten offered, holding out her cell phone.

"Oh…thanks Tenten," Sasuke replied dryly, looking displeased.

He slowly took her cell phone. Naruto was looking over his shoulder, making sure he really did call Sakura. Sasuke slowly scrolled through Ten Ten's contacts before stopping at 'Haruno Sakura'. He pressed the send button and put the phone to his ear. Inside he hoped she wouldn't answer. However, on the other side he heard her voice.

"Hello?" She asked when Sasuke refused to. Naruto looked at him, warning him that he'd better answer.

"Um, hello? Is anyone there?"

In the background Sasuke heard someone say, "Maybe you have a stalker, Sakura."

"You better hang up now if that's the case. People like that are creepy."

"Hey, Shikamaru, how'd it go with your stalker?"

"Well, he's still here with us, isn't he?"

"Hello?" Sakura asked one last time.

"Wait," Sasuke demanded, feeling that if he didn't say anything, she'd hang up on him, and he'd be forced to dial her number again. Sakura paused. Where had she heard that voice before? No, it couldn't be, but…

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes."

"Um…why…exactly are you calling me? Last I knew, we weren't on that good of terms."

"You see," he coughed, "I have a film coming up, and the director wanted to know if I knew of any plain, normal girls who wouldn't stick out too much."

"And…you thought of me first?"

"Of course. Then again, that pink hair of yours might attract more attention than me. We can't have that."

"Did you just call to insult me, Uchiha Sasuke?" Sakura asked, beginning to sound irritated.

Somehow, getting Sakura all riled up gave Sasuke an adrenaline rush.

Naruto snatched the phone away from him. "Hey, Sakura-chan. We were wondering if you wanted to star in a film with Sasuke. The pay will be good, but there will probably have to be times when you'll miss school. We can arrange all that and talk to your parents if you want." He waited for a minute, listening to her answer. "Oh, it's just a small part. Don't worry too much about it. So you'll do it? Great! You won't regret it. Thanks. Bye!" Naruto hung up, smiling triumphantly. "Well, there you go. Sorry I had to steal the phone away, but you were going way too slow." Naruto turned to the director. "Sasuke loves teasing Sakura-chan. It's his strange way of showing affection."

"Oh…well, we can get started on this project in a few weeks. Until then, don't worry too much." He stood then and shook everyone's hand before leaving.

As soon as the door closed, Sasuke turned to Naruto. "You're going to die, dobe."

"Hey, just think of this as a jumpstart in your real-life relationship."

"I can't believe she actually agreed in the first place," Neji commented.

"Me too," Tenten added, taking back her cell phone.

"Ah, we'll get to see the pink-haired beauty once again. I'm overjoyed!" Lee exclaimed.

"That makes one of us," Sasuke grumbled.

**A/N: O.o it probably isn't just me, but Sasuke seemed WAY ooc. Anyways, Happy Holidays!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Wow…I'm updating. Yeah! I feel so proud of myself! I actually kind of like how this chapter turned out. I mean, at first I was kind of so-so about it, but now I'm happier. It's so long, which makes me happy. At first it was going to be short, but then a few ideas kept flooding my mind, so here's the end result. Hopefully it's a good one. Anyways, thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you review. Here's my first chapter posting at age sixteen. Yep…I just had my birthday not too long ago. ::smiles:: The best present I can receive at the moment are reviews. So, like all authors demand, "Review, review, review! …Please!"**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat. It belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the song Fukai Mori. It belongs to Do as Infinity.**

**Disclaimer: I don't Mario. It belongs to…not me…since I can't think of what company created Mario. ::sweat drop::**

Sasuke was sitting in a conference room, actually the same one he'd been in two weeks beforehand when his costar had been switched from Satsuki Kimi to Haruno Sakura. He was impatiently drumming his long, pale fingers on the table surface. For twenty minutes they'd been waiting for the director; even if he had something to fear, the wrath of a beyond irritated Uchiha Sasuke was worse. His eyes strayed around the room, taking in everything again. On his right sat Naruto, playing a game on his cell phone and cursing silently under his breath every once in a while. Lee sat on the other side of Naruto, openly admiring the person sitting on the other side of the table. On Sasuke's left side, Neji and Tenten were conversing amongst themselves. Well, Tenten was trying to get some more ideas for Naruto's birthday decorations, while Neji was his usual silent self, once in a while giving monotonous, monosyllable answers. His attention was mainly focused on a person placed across from them, head bowed, twiddling her fingers. Sitting alone in the corner, sketching away, was Sai, occasionally switching from his black pencil to a red, blue, or green one. And, much to his displeasure, sitting across from him was none other than his beloved costar, Haruno Sakura in all her pink glory.

He could tell she was nervous by the way she twiddled her thumbs, bit her lip, or how her eyes would quickly flicker from one place to another. She had no reason to be nervous, Sasuke thought boredly to himself. It wasn't like she didn't know who they were. He sighed, turning his attention from his costar to the script before him. Two days before, the script had been sent to him. He'd been surprised to see how thick it was, considering it was just for a movie. However, to add more fuel to the flame, a note had been attached, stating that the movie would actually be turned into a drama. If he thought spending a few weeks with the pink-haired girl would be unbearable, the thought of possibly spending a few months with her was horrifying. If Sasuke was as showy in his emotions as Naruto, he would've cried like there was no tomorrow, gone whining to Neji, started picking (more) fights with Naruto, tried to find out the positives of youth with Lee, and begged Tenten to take him to the nearest (good) ramen shop.

But, no, he was Uchiha Sasuke, son of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto. Of course, being an Uchiha wasn't the only thing that contributed to his stoic exterior, but it was also the fact that he was, indeed, a male. It was an unwritten code that was imbedded in every male's system before they were born; for a few, the code either slipped or was mutated in some sort of strange way. That was what led to people such as Naruto and Lee…but that was okay…only because sometimes they actually got the code. If they didn't…Sasuke would've dumped them a long time ago.

Sasuke blinked a few times. His mind had gone astray, something that didn't usually happen. It'd been happening a lot lately, and that worried him a little bit. But he shook it off and sighed again, pulling his cell phone out to check the time. Only ten minutes had passed…ten minutes where the director still hadn't shown up. Sasuke's fingers clenched around the inanimate object, showing his growing frustration, almost breaking the poor thing.

"Calm down, Sasuke-teme," said Naruto, continuing to play his game. "I'd offer you my cell phone since yours is boring and doesn't have any games, but I'm doing great, so I can't."

Sasuke scoffed softly and added, "Like I'd want to touch anything of yours, especially if it's been in your pocket."

Naruto looked up, glaring darkly. "You stupid bastard. Fine; next time you need anything, I won't be there to help."

Sasuke started at his best friend amusedly. "Yes, yes, Naruto. We both know that will happen sometime in this lifetime. If I needed another lung, you'd probably be the first to offer up yours."

"Nah, I'd want you to suffer first. Beside, you still have all those fan girls, and maybe even some fan boys, if you're popular enough. I'm sure one of them has a lung decent enough for the 'great' Uchiha Sasuke. Better yet, why don't you start working on your relationship with Sakura-chan so you can offer your lung to her instead? I bet with her you can actually learn how to not be such a selfish bastard. And just think," he smiled widely, "your acting won't really be acting. It'll actually be your real emotions. It'll be one step up from the crappy stuff you usually do."

Sasuke said nothing to this and decided to just sit there and stare at the ceiling, finding nothing better to do or anyone better to talk to.

"Have I left you speechless, teme? I bet I'm not the first to tell you how much your acting sucks. Nope, I left all the pleasures to Itachi-san. It's a wonder you've even made it this far in business."

"Hey, dickless, shut up." Sai called calmly, continuing to sketch. Sakura bit her lip, trying to hold in her laughter. She looked from the corner of her eye and saw Hinata blushing furiously, biting her lip and probably debating as to whether or not she should laugh as well. A small, sad smile formed on Sakura's lips. Besides Hinata, she wouldn't be seeing her friends all that often outside of school. She'd have to balance this, school, and her job at Rose Café too. She inwardly sighed, wondering if working with Uchiha Sasuke was worth what she was being paid. But it was all for the sake of college. Sure, her parents had left her money to use, but she wanted to save that and try to pay as much for college on her own as she could.

She looked up and almost reeled back in shock, seeing Sasuke's eyes on her. If she'd been Sasuke, she'd have looked away quickly; if she'd been seen staring, the person would've immediately thought that she held some interest in them. But, no, instead, Sasuke just continued to stare at her with those dark, impassive eyes until she diverted her eyes to something else. Slowly, however, her eyes strayed back to him. He continued to stare, unnerving her. This time she stared back, unwilling to back down. She was not going to let Uchiha Sasuke get the best of her. She was going to beat him. Yet she found herself wanting to look away. Finally she did for a millisecond, but that was all Sasuke needed to realize that he'd won. He gave a small smirk, much to Sakura's annoyance.

'So what if I only looked away for a millisecond. That doesn't mean he won! And besides, it was just a staring contest. Staring is so rude. Doesn't he know that? Of course, his mother probably told him that a billion times in his childhood, but he's a male. What can you expect? He probably has the maturity of a pre-teen still. He's lucky I'm more mature, or I'd go over there and strangle him. I don't see what any girl sees in them romantically; I especially don't understand what anyone sees in him. Guys are so immature."

'Hell yeah they are!' Her inner Sakura raged, pumping her fist in the air. Yep…inner Sakura had remained dormant for some time, but it seemed that Uchiha Sasuke brought out the worst in even Sakura.

Sasuke stared at Sakura strangely, seeing her nod to herself. 'Well…her hair's pink. What else can you expect?' He thought to himself, shrugging.

"Sai, you asshole! Don't say stuff like that!" Naruto yelled, his face turning a light pink. His phone fell to the ground, completely forgotten as little Mario died. He stalked over to where Sai was calmly sketching away, anger and embarrassment radiating off him in waves. If Sai had one other talent outside of art, it would be ruining a man's pride, or rather, Naruto's pride; and no man enjoyed getting their pride stomped on, especially not if the person they liked was bearing witness to it.

Sai looked up, smiling his usual fake smile. "Don't say what, Naruto?" He asked innocently. Annoying Naruto was so fun. Now he understood why Sasuke did it on a daily basis.

Naruto growled darkly, but before he could jump on Sai and beat him up, there was—as always—intervention by Lee and Tenten. Lee held Naruto back, a firm grip on the back of his shirt. Tenten stood between the two guys, hands on her hips.

"Naruto, you need to be more mature than this. Don't let Sai's remarks get to you," she scolded lightly. She turned around to face Sai who was silently chuckling to himself. Really, the look on Naruto's face was priceless. If only he had a camera…. He dug through his backpack and pulled out his phone, quickly snapping a picture, his chuckles increasing slightly in volume. If the Hyuuga girl hadn't been around, then he wouldn't have gotten that great of a reaction. Now, each time he'd tease Naruto, he'd get a reply that could amuse him for ages.

He was rudely shaken from his thoughts by Tenten's poke to his forehead. "Sai, are you listening to me? You shouldn't tease Naruto like that. Geez…we're not little kids anymore. We're adults now."

"Actually, Tenten, we're in Japan now…. We're not 'officially' considered adults here for another two years," Neji spoke up suddenly, the most he'd said the entire time they'd been sitting in the conference room.

"I don't care if we're 'officially' adults or not; we're older now. I mean, it's stupid to be fighting over the same things you've been fighting over for…" she paused to think for a moment, "almost three years about. Don't you guys ever get bored of it?"

"Nope," Naruto replied, "not as long as I get to kick Sai's ass. You are so lucky Lee is holding me back, or I would've already beaten you senseless."

"Why?" Sai asked coolly from behind Tenten as he continued to sketch, seeming unperturbed. "Would you do it so you'd look cool in front of the Hyuuga girl?" He asked cheekily, lifting his face to give Naruto one of his nice, big, fat, fake smiles.

Before Naruto could reply with a scathing comment, a short, hesitant, almost silent knock stopped him. He turned around to look at the newcomers, while Neji ordered, "Come in."

Two men and a woman walked in, the man in front looking as though he were walking to the execution grounds. He stopped a few feet from Sasuke, sweat dripping down his face. The woman handed him a handkerchief, rolling her eyes. The other man shifted the papers in his arms, moving from one foot to the other. The sweating man didn't really have anything to be afraid of. If he'd come in five minutes earlier, he'd probably have suffocated from the intense aura that would have emitted off of Sasuke, but now Sasuke was calmer after watching, and being amused by, the fight between Sai and Naruto.

"Please, sit down," Tenten greeted pleasantly, moving from her previous position to the chair she'd occupied before. Lee release Naruto who almost stumbled forward, but caught himself. He flashed a glare in Sai's direction; the dark-haired male only smiled back in return. Naruto moved back to his chair, swooping down to pick up his phone. He sighed; if Sai hadn't made his comment, Naruto would've gotten a new high score. He turned off his cell phone, knowing that cell phones always had to be turned off during meetings or else Sasuke would get super pissed. The reasons behind that…no one really knew.

* * *

Naruto had become bored as soon as the sweaty man began talking. 'Wow…' Naruto thought to himself, 'the man's sweat glands must be working really hard today.' The man kept stuttering, making it hard for anyone to understand what he was trying to say. Naruto plopped his folded arms on the table, burying his face in his arms. He lifted his head up slightly so he could watch Hinata. Truth be told, he could just sit and watch her all the time. Even though to other males, she was just another face in the crowd, not exactly a stunning beauty like Ino, or with distinctive features like Sakura, or even with Tenten's personality, Naruto found himself becoming deeply attracted to her. It wasn't love at first sight, he knew that for sure. Love at first sight didn't exist. But there was something in her that he was drawn to. Maybe it was because she was so quiet, so shy, her voice gentle, her smile soft that his infatuation with her had increased. At first he'd been physically attracted to her until his inner gut told him there was something special about Hinata. Now as he watched her, a content smile slowly growing on his face, he was glad that Neji had suggested that Hinata participate in the drama as one of Sakura's best friends. With this chance, he'd be able to talk to her and get to know her better. Maybe his infatuation would grow into something more or it'd fall down to nothing more than friendship…he didn't know.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes shifted slightly when he felt Naruto sigh beside him and lean forward, burying his face in his arms. He would've done the same if he wasn't one for caring about looking professional. He sat straight and tall in his chair, his head angled slightly to show that he was at least paying some attention to the stuttering man. Really…there was nothing to be afraid of. If he'd come in on time, then he wouldn't be sweating bullets like he was now. Apparently, the older woman beside him thought the same thing as well. From time to time she rolled her eyes and even once tried to take over so everyone wouldn't have to listen to the man's annoying stutters, but instead he gave her a quick glare before resuming. Sasuke looked skyward, wondering when the meeting would be over. Suddenly he paused. His sixth sense told him something that annoyed the hell out of him would happen in a few seconds.

_**Fukai fukai mori no oku ni ima mo kitto**_

_**Okizari ni shita kokoro kakushite'ru yo**_

Sasuke's expression turned into an instant glare at the pink-haired girl in front of him. If her life goal was to annoy him every time they met, then she was succeeding. His companions looked at him, watching as Sakura flinched under his intense glare. She quickly answered her phone, hoping his glare would lessen its strength. However, it seemed luck wasn't on her side, seeing as to how his annoyed expression seemed to darken even more.

* * *

"Ah-ano-m-moshi moshi, Sakura speaking," she answered after checking caller id.

"Sakura," Gaara greeted monotonously on the other end.

"I-ano-i-is something wrong? I-I'm sort of—I'm sort of in a meeting at the moment." She said quickly. Now she understood why the man had been so nervous beforehand. If this was what he had to face, he was in his right mind to stall until Sasuke had calmed down somewhat. Why was she always on the negative receiving end? Then again…was there ever a time when Sasuke didn't act like such a prick? 'Nope,' Inner Sakura answered for her. 'Once a prick, always a prick.'

"Sakura," Gaara said on the other end, catching her attention. Maybe he'd sensed that her mind had wandered off…? Well…it was Gaara. Always being quiet and observant, it was no wonder that he'd picked up on her emotions and was actually able to decipher them. Maybe it was one of those best friend things. And she was having one of those best friend moments. Gaara hated talking on the phone. He would've never called unless it was an emergency.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? What about Temari? Kankuro? Ino? Shikamaru? How about Amarante-chan? Oh, no! Don't tell me Chouji got food poisoning again?! What about Kiba?! Is Akamaru okay?!" By now her tone increasing in pitch, growing more frantic by the second. Hinata sat beside her, staring worriedly. Had something happened to one of their friends?

"Calm down," Gaara commanded. "Breathe." He didn't speak again until Sakura had breathed in and out a few times, calming herself and mentally preparing for whatever Gaara was about to send her way.

Then he continued in that calm, collected voice of his. "Amarante-chan is experiencing some…problems. I'm at the orphanage with everyone. Shikamaru and Ino got some information out of one of the workers here, and…," he paused, "it seems someone came to the orphanage yesterday, claiming Amarante-chan as their daughter. Takashi-san was rather skeptical about this claim considering that Amarante-chan's parents were said to have passed away from disease a few years after she was born. But this person is annoyingly persistent. One of the workers mentioned he'd come earlier today, and Temari just informed me that he walked in a few minutes ago."

Sakura froze. Maybe it was just her being paranoid, but…. "Ano, Gaara, could you—could you ask Temari for a description of this person?"

Gaara was silent on the other line. Sakura thought that perhaps he'd put down the phone and was asking Temari, but even then she would've heard a little bit of conversation. Instead, she heard him breathing. "Sakura," he finally answered, "…we both know this face."

* * *

_Sakura was running; she was six years old again. She'd gotten separated from Ino and her parents at the zoo. She didn't know where to go and everyone looked scary. She was too afraid to ask anyone for help as she ran through the zoo, silently hoping that she would see Ino's friendly face and hear her call, "Let's get going forehead-girl!" Sakura would smile and say, "I thought you were behind me Ino-pig." They'd smile and hook arms, following after their parents._

_Yet, Sakura had seen no hint or trace of Ino or her parents. Suddenly as if from the shadows, a man appeared with long dark hair and yellow snake-like eyes._

"_Why, hello, little girl. Are you lost? I can help you find your mommy and daddy. I know where they are. They're really worried about you."_

"_I-I-I'm so-sorry, mister, but they-they told me-they told me not to talk to strangers," Sakura stuttered, stumbling back. She tripped over her feet and landed on her bum. She watched, paralyzed as the snake-man came closer, trying to smile somewhat pleasantly. _

"_Get away from her, scum!" A voice yelled behind her. Sakura looked back and her eyes widened when she saw a boy, perhaps a few years her senior. He had a rock in one hand, his dark eyes set determinedly. A breeze blew through his dark hair, making it even messier than it already was. _

"_What a brave little boy, foolish, but brave." The snake-man sneered amusingly. "However, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. I suggest you scurry back to your mommy or she'll worry for you."_

_This time, the little boy snickered. "I would do that, slimy scum, __if__ I had a mother to 'scurry back to'. But I don't, so I want to help this pink-haired kid. So leave her alone. Go away. Are you some pervert who likes to pick on little girls? Sick," he said, making gagging noises._

"_Why, you little brat," the snake-man snarled. He backed away slowly but not before whispering, "You got lucky this time, little girl. Just to let you know however, no matter how much you run, no matter how far you go, I will always find you. For you see, you and I are one in the same. With me, you will have power beyond imagination. Run and I will kill all those who you hold dear." He suddenly disappeared._

"_Hey, are you okay?" The boy asked, coming to Sakura's side. Sakura replied with a nod, unable to move her legs. "I think I know where your mommy, daddy and sister are. And I'm not lying like that guy was. Your sister has blonde hair and turquoise eyes, right? And your dad has blonde hair too? Your mom is a brunette, isn't she?" Sakura nodded again. She'd rather go with this boy than the scary man. "Can you move your legs?" Sakura shook her head no. He sighed and said, "Fine, I'll carry you, but only because you aren't acting like a fan girl." He squatted before her and waited till Sakura had climbed on his back, her legs gripping his sides. "Man, you're light. How old are you? Six?" Sakura nodded again. "You don't talk much, do you? Usually I'm the one who does the listening…or ignoring in most cases." Throughout the entire walk, the boy chatted, feeling for a nod or shake._

"_Sakura-chan!" Ino squealed happily. Sakura looked up from the boy's shoulder and a smile broke out on her face. Ino made her way over and Sakura scrambled to get off the boy's back. He did so. Sakura ran and embraced Ino who was sobbing._

"_Gomen, Sakura-chan. I thought you were with okaa-san."_

"_There, there. It's okay, Ino-chan. That boy over there helped me."_

"_What boy, Sakura-chan?" Ino asked curiously, standing on her tip-toes to see if she could see better._

"_What?" Sakura looked behind her, and to her surprise, no one was there. It was as if he'd been nothing more than a ghost. "I never even got his name. And I didn't tell him thank you." Sakura whispered._

"_Come on, Sakura-chan. Okaa-san and otu-san are taking us out for dinner. Come on," Ino said, pulling Sakura along. Sakura took one last look before following after Ino.

* * *

_

Sakura woke up in a sweat. After what Gaara had told her, she'd felt uneasy, always looking over her shoulder, always making sure someone was with her. Something told her that the one time she was alone would be the one time he'd find her. So tonight she'd asked Ino if she could sleep in her room. Ino had looked at her worriedly but consented all the same.

Ino's pale arm reached up and turned on the lamp. She looked over, her hair disheveled, eyes sleepy. "What's wrong, Sakura?" She asked after yawning. She rubbed her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow. Rarely had she seen Sakura so worked up. Sure, there were a few times when Sakura had procrastinated on a project and had stayed up all night working on it. Ino distinctly remembered Sakura had done that once in seventh grade, staying up almost all night before falling asleep at around three in the morning. When she'd woken up, she'd seemed so upset with what she'd done that she'd just burst into tears.

Sakura's head whipped to the side. She calmed her breathing and tried to smile. "I'm sorry, Ino. Did I wake you up?" She whispered, lying back down. She brought her blankets around her, hoping to hide from him. She'd been left alone for ten years now. Why was he back?

"Forehead-girl, you shouldn't be worried about me. What's wrong? I'm always here to talk, you know. I mean, I probably don't understand your feelings as well as Gaara would, but I'm your sister, your best friend. I must be able to help in some way." She silently pleaded, hoping Sakura would confide in her. Yes, she'd never lost anything important in her life. Yes, she'd never been picked on by anyone before. But Sakura had helped her out more times than she could count; this time, she wanted to help Sakura, to do something for her.

"I-I-I-Ino-pig, I-I-I'm scared," Sakura whispered from underneath the covers.

"Don't be," Ino replied immediately. "Don't be scared. If someone's going to hurt you, or if something's hurting you, I'll protect you. Okaa-san and Otou-san will too. Hinata, Kiba, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Chouji, and Shikamaru will as well. Oh, and Lee-san definitely will too. Of course, we can't forget Tenten-san or Naruto-san. Hell, maybe even Sai-san, Neji-san, or your future husband Sasuke-san will too. We're all here, Sakura. I know it might be cheesy to say, but we're all here for you. If you ever have any problems, you should know that you can count on us."

Sakura smiled. Yep, it was cheesy, but it made her feel better. It made her feel warm inside, as if she'd just drunk a whole cup of hot chocolate after walking out in the cold of winter for so long. "Ino…thank you."

"You're welcome, Sakura. Hey, do you want to sleep up here? Just for old time's sake? It'll be like when we were younger."

"And we would share who we liked? Or we'd gossip about all there was to gossip about?" Sakura's smile widened as the memories flooded her mind.

"Of course. Tomorrow's Sunday, so we can stay up all night if we feel like it." Ino scooted to the other side of her bed as Sakura lay down, pulling her blankets around her.

"So…Sakura…made any moves on Sasuke-san yet?" Ino asked innocently. A few giggles escaped her at Sakura's look of disbelief.

"Ino, Ino, Ino…I don't understand how you could ever believe that I would be interested in...Uchiha Sasuke. I mean, he's an arrogant, stuck-up prat."

"'Prat'?" Ino questioned amusedly, glad that Sakura wasn't as distraught. 'I guess having Sasuke-san as the topic of conversation is always a good thing to divert her mind. But…those two are going to get together sooner or later. If my woman's intuition said it's going to happen, it'll happen.'

Sakura huffed. "I guess I picked it up from a book I was reading. Sometimes that happens."

"Like that one time you started using bits of old English in your English sentences?"

Sakura blushed softly. "…Yes…I guess we could use that as an example."

Ino giggled softly once again. "So how do you feel, knowing that you'll be starring in a romance drama with Sasuke-san?"

Sakura's expression turned dark. "I can't believe Naruto-san lied to me. He said I was only getting a small part. If he meant that costarring with Uchiha Sasuke was a small part compared to actually playing Uchiha Sasuke's part, then he was right. But I thought he meant I'd just play some person in the background or just a minor character of some sort that interacts with the antagonist or protagonist." Sakura groaned into her pillow. "Ino-pig, what am I going to do? I can hardly act to save my life."

"You don't know that, forehead-girl. Maybe you're a great actress."

"Ino," Sakura began seriously, "the only acting I've ever done in my life was as a little raindrop in first grade. And I had enough of a hard time trying to remember the song lyrics as well as the simple dance steps."

"But that was first grade, Sakura. Maybe your acting skills have blossomed over time, and now you just have to hone them. You never know. You could be great like that one girl in the manga you squeal over so much. She's just a beginner, and she's a great actress."

"Skip beat by Yoshiki Nakamura," Sakura replied automatically. Yes, that was one of her all-time favorite mangas. "But, Ino, that's just a manga. Things like that don't happen in real life. Besides, I read over the script during dinner, and I can't relate to the character in any way. I've never experienced such an intense infatuation with someone before; I've never met anyone that will make me stutter and blush or make my heart skip a beat. I want my acting to be real, but I can't do something like that. I'm not creative enough to try and portray my character in a different way that suits me. Kyoko-san's a natural. I'm just an amateur. Why would they choose me to even star in something this big? I'm not even into acting."

"Maybe it's a little thing called fate, Sakura. Maybe Kami-sama is hinting at the fact that you and Sasuke-san are going to be seeing a lot of each other. He could become a very big part of your life."

"Ino, if you mean that I'm going to someday marry him and bear his children, then that will never happen," Sakura replied in a deadpanned voice. If she ever felt anything for him, it would be simply and purely lust. How any person could truly love him was astounding. Maybe his mother loved him, but it was one of those motherly things. Almost all mothers loved their children no matter what.

* * *

Gaara sat in a chair on his balcony, staring out at the flower gardens. A half moon watched him, the only source of light. He sat, unmoving, the wind blowing through his hair from time to time. He suppressed a shudder as a particularly icy breeze touched him. Winter would be approaching earlier, it seemed. Winter was his favorite season, not because of the cold, but rather…it was the season where he'd first met Sakura. She'd become one of the most important people in his life.

A sudden, wracking pain flooded his entire body. He grabbed his head, cursing silently to himself. He grabbed his hair tightly as the pain increased. The only thing that stopped him from screaming out was his pride. He didn't want to be weak. He'd never been seen as weak; everyone always expected him to be strong. Everyone, except Sakura, because she knew what he hid behind his mask.

Slowly the pain receded, leaving him gasping for breath. His eyes opened, and he stared at his feet, his vision blurry before focusing in once again. Again he felt the pain coming and braced himself. Memories flooded his mind in quick flashes.

* * *

_Sometimes, Gaara believed he saw the smile of his uncle tighten around the edges. Had Gaara done something wrong?

* * *

_

"_Here you go," he gestured, holding out the ball. The smile was still on his face. It disappeared however when he saw the faces of the other children. Some of them seemed frightened, the girls clutching at each other or hiding behind one of the boys. The older boys had looks of distaste on their face. They spat on the ground when Gaara met their gaze. Gaara was taken aback by the hostility that radiated off of them._

"_What are you doing out here, monster? I thought they'd locked you up for good. Or perhaps, even better, you'd died." One of the older boys sputtered this out cruelly, his eyes hard.

* * *

_

"_You know it's because of you that some of our parents died! It's because of you that everyone lost someone they loved a lot! Even your own mother was too ashamed that she died almost right after she gave birth to you!"

* * *

_

"_Aren't you going to say anything, monster?"

* * *

_

"_Those children are very bad and they could hurt you, understand?" Gaara nodded wordlessly. Perhaps it was better to stay here. Here no one would call him a monster. He could read and play with his bear. No one could hurt him here.

* * *

_

_One was of a pink-haired girl with bright emerald eyes. Her hand was out, an angelic smile on her face. "Come on, Gaara, let's go play." she said.

* * *

_

"_They don't understand you. You have powers far beyond that of a normal human. Come with me. I can take you away from the darkness, away from this hurt and suffering."

* * *

_

_He was surrounded by friends who were laughing happily, talking and joking. The pink-haired girl sat next to him, smiling at him—him of all people. The others smiled and joked around with him, poking fun at each other. If he chose the pink-haired girl, would this be his future?

* * *

_

"_Well, I can assure you that sooner or later, you will come to me."

* * *

_

The flood of memories stopped, leaving him gasping for breath once again. He felt as if something were choking him. What was this strange sensation? What was happening to him? He readied himself as another attack came.

* * *

"_Sakura, don't talk to him. People say he's a monster." Gaara stared ahead. He didn't care what anyone said anymore. It was always the same stuff. Why bother defending himself if no one would believe him anyway._

"_Ino-pig, I can't believe you actually believe those rumors," the pink haired girl—Sakura—whispered back furiously, green eyes flashing. She turned around and marched towards him determinedly. He watched her, his eyes devoid of emotion._

"_Hi," she greeted shyly, immediately losing her anger. "My name is Haruno Sakura. What's your name?" He didn't answer her. He just sat there, waiting for her to leave. Many times in the past, and even a few today, had come up to him and presented themselves on a dare from their friends. If they could find out the name of the monster, they'd get respect. But they'd failed, giving up after a few minutes of silence and unanswered questions. So he waited, wondering how long this girl with the strange hair color would last. Ten minutes…which soon turned into twenty…and then forty…and finally an hour. Yet she was still in front of him, now sitting, her legs extended before her, waiting for his answer. Little white flakes of snow had fallen on her hair, easy to pick out among the pink strands._

_An hour turned into an hour and a half. Soon her blonde-haired sister came running out of the building. "Sakura, okaa-san and otou-san are here. Come on, we have to go home." She stopped a few feet from them, glancing warily at Gaara. "Sakura, come on," Ino urged._

_Sakura sighed and stood, before picking up her backpack. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!" She gave him one last smile before walking to Ino. He continued to watch her and caught her looking over her shoulder at him. She blushed softly and turned away.

* * *

_

His first real memory of Sakura. "Damn it," he swore under his breath. It felt like something was invading his mind, searching for something. Who the hell had any kind of strange power like that? Most importantly, however, was what the person was searching for.

**A/N: So how was that?! Huh, huh?! I hoped you like it! And if you've never read or heard of it, you should definitely read Skip Beat. It is one of the best mangas ever. Especially if you're into shojo. Even if you aren't, don't worry. The main character, Kyoko, isn't your ordinary average shojo girl. You'll love the manga, I promise. Oh, and we can't forget about the song for Sakura's ring tone. I love the song as well. ::nods:: **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, but to Masashi Kishimoto. **

A cool autumn day, groups of kids saying good-bye. The school stands, tall and majestic, a simple white, two-story building with a large double-door entrance and trees, a few oak and a few maple, lining the stone walkway leading to the double doors. Even though it is already December, the weather pictures things differently, making it seem like another September morning. The wind is gentle, a crimson-red leaf falling off a tree and softly swaying towards a boy and girl, one with bubblegum pink hair and the other raven black. The girl fidgets nervously, wringing her hands, her backpack on the ground beside her. The boy pauses and looks over his shoulder, waiting for her to talk.

"A-a-ano, M-M-Minowa-k-kun, I-a-ano, I-I." Haruki stares at her expectantly, hands shoved in his pockets. His backpack is hung over one shoulder, a gold necklace gleaming in the faint sunlight. Umeko gulps, anxiously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I like you!" She suddenly blurts, immediately feeling herself starting to blush. She averts her eyes, biting hard on her lower lip.

Haruki opens his mouth to say something, but then stops, thinking. If it had been any other girl confessing, he could've easily rejected them, but this was Kozue Umeko, possibly the only girl his age he would ever hold any respect for. Now she'd just confessed feelings for him. Just when he was thinking she was different, she came out with this.

"Sorry, Kozue, but…I can't return your feelings." His words came out rather coldly—not that he'd intended them to be that way.

"I-I-I--" Umeko's words are suddenly cut off by her father who has just arrived to pick her up.

"Umeko, let's get going. We still have to pick up your mother for lunch. Say good-bye to your friend." Umeko slowly picks up her backpack and gives Haruki one last look.

"I…hope…well…I hope we meet again someday…" she hesitated, "Haruki-kun." She quickly leaves, almost running to her father's car, long cherry-pink hair flying behind her.

Haruki continues to watch her until her father's car disappears. He turns to go, knowing his own parent will be arriving soon. Out of the corner of his eye, something glimmers faintly. He turns, walks over, and then bends down. It is a ring, gold-banded with a simple diamond set between a pair of smaller diamonds. He fingers it thoughtfully, noticing the engraved initials of its owner. He stares at it for a few seconds before unclasping the plain gold chain around his neck. He slides the chain through the ring and clasps the necklace back on. The metal feels cold against his skin, but the feeling is not unwelcome.

"Haruki," his mother calls, gaining his attention. He looks up and smiles. Haruki walks towards his mother, hiding the ring underneath his shirt. Maybe they would meet again.

"And cut!" The director, Natsumi, yelled, a satisfied look on her face.

Sakura sat on the grass, dumbfounded. Nervous butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Although Kumiko, the girl who played the younger version of Sakura's character, was only a child, her acting was wonderful. Her embarrassment and nervousness, even her blush, were so believable. Could she be as good?

Sakura watched as Ryuu, who played Haruki, talked to Kumiko, a gentle smile on his face. The two had known each other before the drama, having entered the same acting company, as well as just recently starring in a mystery film.

Sakura contemplated, wondering how he could play someone so unlike him. He turned out to be a polite and mature boy while Kumiko was mature in public, but could sometimes be so…she didn't want to say childish, but…a little…absentminded, which Sakura found amusing at times.

Her eyes drifted away and found Sasuke sitting in a chair, chin in hand, flipping through the script. He was such an arrogant person, so full of himself. When he first found her trying to memorize her lines, he'd simply looked at her disdainfully and stated monotonously, "You better work harder. This drama is worth more than what you'll probably make in your lifetime." And then he'd left her speechless, mouth agape, his own script in hand. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she'd stood up and stalked over to where Hinata was quietly talking with Naruto and vented her frustrations to him. After that, she'd felt a little better. Naruto had relayed to her some of Sasuke's most embarrassing moments, and Hinata had offered kind words, as usual. It was nice to know that even Sasuke's best friend thought he needed some pounding. However, next came the biggest question ever: would she really be able to act as though she liked him? She hadn't liked a boy in so long….

"Sakura-san, Sasuke-san, it's your scene next," Natsumi called to them after praising Ryuu and Kumiko, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts. Natsumi was average looking with shoulder-length brown hair and light brown eyes. She was five foot seven and average sized, not supermodel skinny or oh-my-god-I'm going to die-obese. She was just a beginner in directing, fresh out of school, and had decided to produce her husband's newest work. Unlike her, he was well-known for producing successful dramas. At the production announcement, Sakura had heard a couple people make comments about the drama. Natsumi's husband had made great dramas with great directors, but Natsumi was a beginner who would supposedly destroy the newest drama and all its essence. Sakura hadn't said anything, at least not out loud, but she'd glared at them darkly until they felt her aura of hatred and retreated to the opposite corner of the room.

Now Sakura stood, nervously dusting off her outfit. It wasn't usually something she'd wear, but…oh, well, it was cute. She wore a pair of gray stonewashed capris under a thigh-length black skirt. Tan legwarmers covered the top of her black boots, and a silver belt hung over her skirt. Her cami was a pearl white, her fingerless arm gloves black with a sort of intricate spider web design. Her hair had been tightly curled and mousse had been added; a pale lavender ribbon held back most of her hair, excluding her long bangs. Her earrings were simple pearl studs, her necklace a long string of black pearls with small, almost unnoticeable diamonds between them. It sounded, and looked, really bizarre, but it all came together nicely.

Sakura pulled out her headphones and put them on, picking a random song to listen to. She had to act natural, like herself but like Umeko as well.

"Sakura-san?" Natsumi asked, coming to her side.

"A-ah, sorry, Natsumi-san."

"It's alright. Let's get started then, shall we?"

Sakura nodded and walked over to where Sasuke stood, glaring at her with obvious annoyance. His clothing was much simpler: a dark pair of jeans with a white long-sleeve rolled up to his elbows ('showing his pale, muscled forearm, which doesn't look too bad; you know…he might actually have a nice body under all that arrogance,' Inner Sakura commented, her eyes widening, and quickly wiping the growing drool from the corner of her mouth. 'Okay, that never happened, alright?' 'Agreed,' Sakura replied quickly; if he ever found out her thoughts, he'd probably be disgusted, and his ego would be boosted big time) under a black sweater vest with a pair of black Doc Martens.

Sakura looked away and took a deep breath, trying to remember who she'd have to call what. If she accidentally called someone their real name, not only would she be embarrassed, but Sasuke would probably laugh—'or smirk,' Inner Sakura added helpfully—at her.

"Sasuke-san, Sakura-san, ready?" Both nodded yes, Sakura with a determined look on her face, while Sasuke simply stood there, mentally preparing himself. "Act two, scene one…and…action!"

One month ago had been the start of the filming for the drama. Now was finally the debut of it. Sakura had hoped beyond all belief that none of her friends would remember about it, but…considering they were all standing on her doorstep, and Ino was grinning over her shoulder, they'd remembered.

"Got the snacks prepared?" Kiba asked, walking in with Akamaru.

"Hey, where are Chouji and Kankuro?" Sakura asked, leading her friends to the living room. Ino had already dragged Shikamaru into the kitchen as soon as he'd walked through the front door.

"They had to go back to Europe or something," Temari answered as Ino and Shikamaru walked in, snacks and drinks in hand. Temari made a grab for the mint chocolate cookies as Kiba went for them too. They glared at each other heatedly, a hand on either side of the bowl. "Let go, dog-boy," Temari spoke through gritted teeth.

"Why don't you, sand-man?" Kiba replied, tugging harder on his end.

"Take that back, flea-bag," Temari growled, grabbing a cookie and stuffing it in her mouth. She looked at him triumphantly, her grip on the bowl never loosening. Inside Kiba's jacket, Akamaru whimpered softly. No matter how much anger exuded from Temari, Kiba never seemed afraid.

"Tastes great, Sakura," Temari complimented while chewing, her eyes never leaving Kiba's. There was no way she was losing to him. Not now, not ever.

"Thanks, Temari," Sakura replied, sighing. She looked up as Hinata walked into the living room, carrying two smaller bowls. Hinata cautiously reached in and put a handful of cookies in each bowl. She shyly offered one to Kiba and the other to Temari. Sakura caught the bowl before it fell, giving Hinata a grateful glance. Hinata nodded in reply and settled herself on the couch, sharing the huge bowl of popcorn with Ino.

"Better not eat too much of that, Ino-pig. Don't you know how bad butter is for you?" Sakura teased, reaching for her own handful.

"You're one to talk, forehead-girl. And for your information, there's not much butter on here. I made sure to get the salty kind," Ino replied, pulling the bowl away. "Better not eat too much of that, forehead-girl. Don't you know how bad food is for you?" Ino made a face at Sakura who 'maturely' did the same.

"Hey…it's starting," Shikamaru pointed out dryly, munching on his own big bowl of chips. "Hm…Chouji was right. These are pretty good," he commented to himself, putting another in his mouth.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to the TV, and a sudden, expectant silence filled the living room. Then began the episode with a pink-haired Kumiko and sullen Ryuu. No one said anything as they watched, each pigging out on their own snack. It wasn't until Sakura heard the familiar theme song that she looked away, turning a light pink. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Hinata doing the same, staring down at her teacup, a light pink blush gracing her pale cheeks.

Get a load of me (Umeko walking and chatting with family), get a load of you (Haruki walking with friends while they joke around behind him)

Walkin' down the street (pass each other in the street in their own groups), and I hardly know you (hardly know you) (slows down as Haruki and Umeko pass each other)

It's just like we were meant to be (childhood Haruki grudgingly giving childhood Umeko cookies)

Holding hands with you when we're out at night (Haruki grabbing Umeko's hand as fan girls walk by)

Got a girlfriend, you say it isn't right (isn't right) (Miki latching on to Haruki's arm)

And I've got someone waiting too (Kazuki calling Umeko's name)

What if this is just the beginning?

We're already wet, and we're gonna go swimming ("Get in here," Haruki gestures. "No way, perv," Umeko replies indignantly, crossing her arms, her nose held high in the air.)

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?

Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? ("So do you like him?" Suzuki asks seriously. "No way in hell," Umeko replies, a small, almost unnoticeable blush on her face)

It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it

So tell me

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("You know…I heard a strange rumor the other day. You wouldn't happen to know what it is, would you?" asks Haruki, his dark eyes almost breaking Umeko's strongly built defense. "Of course not! I never get rumors until it's over." She replies confidently.)

Whenever I think about you(x4) (smirking Haruki and glaring Umeko, blushing Suzuki and smiling Natsu, serious Kazuki, pouting Miki)

Isn't this the best part of breakin' up? ("I think it'd be best if you break up with him," Haruki suggests gently.)

Finding someone else you can't get enough of, ("Suzuki, Haruki said you needed help with something?" Yukio sets his bag down next to hers.)

Someone who wants to be with you too ("Uh-um-y-yes," she replies hesitantly, her smile fading as she spots Natsu over Yukio's shoulder.)

It's an itch we know we are gonna scratch ("Natsu-kun, I think that was poison ivy," Suzuki whispers, worried.)

Gonna take a while for this egg to hatch (Natsu and Suzuki looking down at an egg through which a chick is emerging)

But wouldn't it be beautiful? ("Beautiful," Natsu murmurs (at the same time as liz phair says beautiful), his eyes trained on Suzuki.)

Here we go, we're at the beginning ("I like you!" Umeko shouts, a sudden blush growing on her face.)

We haven't fucked yet, but my head's spinning ("No, no, no! This is all a plot to get him to go out with you! Snap out of it, Umeko!" Yells Inner Umeko.)

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("Hey, Umeko-chan, you're turning pink," Suzuki comments anxiously.)

Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? ("Suzuki, stop looking out the window. I know you like him a lot…but still," Umeko replies, huffing.)

It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it ("I want to be with you," Natsu says seriously.)

So tell me ("Umeko, tell me the truth," demands Haruki.)

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("Haruki, you're drooling, teme. Stop it…it's scaring me," Natsu says, looking away.)

High enough for you to make me wonder

Where it's goin' ("Haru-kun, you promised my father we'd get married," Miki whines, tugging on his arm.)

High enough for you to pull me under

Somethin's growin' ("Well…if you want to get married, then go ahead," Haruki says coldly.)

Outta this that we can't control

Baby I'm dyin' ("Natsu, damn it; this is serious!" Haruki grabs Natsu's collar and pins him to the wall.)

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("I don't know what else to do anymore, 'kaa-san," Umeko whispers.)

Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? ("Natsu…hey, dobe, what's wrong with you?")

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("Is Haruki-chibisu having girl problems?" Ayako teases.)

Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? ("Kazuki-kun…doesn't being silent ever bother you?")

It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it ("Come to the beach," Natsu urges Suzuki before escaping out the window.)

So tell me ("I'm waiting, Umeko," Haruki states irritably.)

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("Just leave me alone," Umeko says, turning her music louder.)

Whenever i think about you (x4) (Suzuki and Umeko, Umeko with her mom and dad, Haruki with his friends, all the characters)

(_Love is only Imagination_ appears on the screen)

Umeko walked down the street, hands shoved in her newly bought sweatshirt—black with a laughing skull on the back. It was simple, but she hadn't been able to resist buying it. The skull on back matched the skull clip in her hair. She turned her music louder, ignoring the strange looks from other people. What was wrong with the way she dressed? Nothing, really. Today's outfit consisted of a pair of black stockings underneath a pair of white short shorts. Over that, she wore a black musketeer shirt that covered her shorts. Her boots were a pair of black Goth ones, newly bought as well, that reached her knees. The only accessories besides her skull hair clip was the silver ring around her right hand's middle finger, curling around until it reached just below her knuckle, a black pearl in place of the snake's eye; and then there was the black bag slung over one shoulder with Jack, Sally, and Zero from The Nightmare before Christmas down in the corner.

She stopped at a small shop with wide glass windows displaying sweets and little dolls. When she walked through the door, which was probably only about two feet taller than her, making it almost seven-some feet. A small chime sounded when she walked in, announcing to the store-owner, as well as everyone else in the shop, that another person had entered. The store-owner was a small woman of five feet or so, with a head of curly white hair that was always held on top of her head with clips, bright azure eyes, and currently displaying the same small, gentle smile she always wore.

Umeko smiled back at the old woman before heading to the small literature section. She browsed through, picking up a book and a few magazines she knew Suzuki would be interested in. Snaking her way through the people, she grabbed a few snacks before heading to the counter where another girl was working under the steady tutelage of the old woman. The girl looked up anxiously, biting her lip. She offered a shaky smile and held her hands out for the items. Umeko handed her everything and searched for her wallet. The entire process took ten minutes, when it really should have taken only two or three.

"Thank you," Umeko let out tightly as the girl stuttered and handed her change. "Good luck, Maria-san," she laughed softly, her eyes glancing over the blushing cashier who was working with another customer. "'Bye."

"Good-bye, Umeko-chan," Maria, the old woman, replied, turning back to help the young girl.

Umeko walked out, moving the plastic bag from one hand to another. She looked up as she began walking past the enormous reflective windows of the hospital. She walked through the doors, which automatically opened for her as though she were royalty. The receptionists greeted her with a smile which she returned with a nod before walking towards the stairs. She much preferred them to the elevator which was always crowded with people. Strangely enough, Umeko was just a little claustrophobic. She began the long trek to the fourth floor where her patient, and best friend, was.

With the dream of becoming a doctor a few years from her grasp, she was taking some time in the hospital taking care of patients. From time to time she subbed in for other people, but her main patient was her best friend of twenty-one years, Tomi Suzuki. She was probably one of the sweetest, most naïve, and intelligent girls Umeko had ever met. Of course…there was the fact Umeko hadn't met many girls who were nice to her, but…finding one nowadays was a miracle, right?

She suddenly closed her eyes, the sun brightly shining through the window. And it was at that moment, that very moment she would regret for the rest of her life, that she bumped into someone. 'Damn…out of all the times to bump into someone, it has to be when I'm practically blinded by nature. Hm…if this is like in the stories, there'd better be some hot guy to save me.' However…this wasn't story life; it was real life. She ended up falling, not so gracefully, on her butt, the items she'd bought for Suzuki and herself sprawled all over the floor.

Umeko opened her eyes and looked around, finally targeting the back of a male walking down the stairs. He wore a pair of jeans and a black jacket over a white shirt, from what she could see. He hadn't stopped to apologize. He'd just walked away as though he hadn't just knocked a person down. She glared at him darkly, hoping her deathly aura reached him. With her better than 20/20 vision, she spotted the way his dark eyes flicked to look at her as he turned to walk down the next set of stairs. She didn't even miss the small smirk he'd sent her, which she wasn't sure she should be proud for noticing or infuriated that he even dared to do such a thing.

'Bastard,' was Umeko's first thought. Didn't he know he was supposed to save her? He was a guy for crying out loud. He'd knocked her down! If he didn't catch her, the least he could've done was apologize and help pick up her stuff. She huffed in a frustrated sort of way, quickly gathering her fallen items to get out of the way of others. She quickly went up another set of stairs, trying to stop the growing blush on her face. Usually she tried to act calm and collected, but many times she'd found herself doing such embarrassing things. If this had been story life, she would've had super great reflexes and done a back flip or something of the sort to stop herself from falling. Or she could've been like a ditzy girl and grabbed the guy's sleeve, bringing him down with her and suddenly falling in love. She openly snorted at the last one. 'Wow…I need to be more creative next time,' she thought to herself before turning down the hallway to room 404. She knocked abruptly before opening the door and walking in.

She walked in on Suzuki enthusiastically texting on a cell phone. Her dark shoulder-length hair framed her pale face, her light lavender eyes alight with joy. She looked up as the door opened and gave a smile only she could give.

"I didn't know you had a phone," Umeko commented, dropping her bag in a chair and setting the plastic bag on Suzuki's bedside table.

"Well…Haruki-niichan just visited, and he said okaa-san and otou-san insisted on this so they can call and talk to me whenever. And…well," now a light blush was growing on her face, "now I can talk with Natsu-kun as well. He's been so busy with classes and sports that he hasn't had much time to visit."

A mischievous look crossed Umeko's face. "Ah…now I can understand why you're so happy. You get to talk to _Natsu-kun_, whoever that is. Is he the one making you text like mad?" She asked, looking amused as a soothing tone of an incoming text sounded.

"Uh…I'm sorry, Umi. I'll just answer this one, and then we can talk or whatever." Suzuki smiled apologetically and quickly typed up a reply before setting it down beside the items Umeko had brought. "Oh, you bought the next in the series. Thank you so, so, so much, Umi! Wow…thank you so much!"

Umeko gave a small, half-smile. "Sorry it's not as good as a phone," she joked, sitting in a chair beside the bed, grabbing one of the magazines.

"I-I didn't mean it that way! I'm really glad you got all this stuff! I really, really appreciate it!" Suzuki insisted, putting down the book.

Umeko let out a full laugh at Suzuki's expression before waving her hand. "It was a little joke, Suzuki. No need to get all emotional over it. Oh! Before I forget, here are the assignments for the rest of the month. I turned all your homework in to Masami-sensei, as well as all your labs and the like. What?"

"O-oh, it-it's nothing," Suzuki stuttered, turning a bright red after being caught staring. "It's just that…well…your outfit is definitely…different." She smiled then, after looking over her friend's outfit. She was certainly someone who didn't care what others thought. As long as she was confident in herself, everyone grew to like the look as well. This was one part of Umeko that Suzuki had been attracted to. Well, their parents were friends first, so it seemed only natural they became friends as well. Then again, Umeko usually didn't get along with very many other people. Suzuki found that a little strange; people always seemed to find things wrong with Umeko and didn't bother to hide the fact that they simply loathed her.

"Yeah, I guess it's different," Sakura replied indifferently, flipping through a magazine. "I'm not as extravagant as some extremely creative people I found in Harajuku the other day, but I'm getting there. I put together this outfit I think will look so good. I found a few items on the internet a few weeks ago. Oh, and happy birthday, Suzuki." Umeko looked up then and laughed at Suzuki's surprised expression. "You didn't think I'd forgotten about your birthday, did you?"

"N-n-no, it's not that. I-I forgot…that…today is my birthday," she whispered, looking down at her lap. "Haruki-niichan didn't mention it either. I don't think he forgot. He's usually not one to forget things. Natsu-kun didn't say anything either. I mean, he's usually forgetful, but…he never forgets a person's birthday."

"M-maybe they're planning a surprise party or something," Umeko replied quickly as her friend's aura grew more and more depressed. "Hey, don't get so sad, Suzuki. I'm sure I'm right. I wouldn't doubt it if those two are sitting in a café or something with a whole bunch of other people planning your party. Your brother will probably come get you in a few hours and take you somewhere."

"That'd be a little out of character for him, but yes, it's a nice thought, isn't it? But, anyway, thank you, Umeko."

"You're welcome. And before I forget, here's your present." She shuffled through her bag and pulled out a few nicely wrapped gifts. "I didn't wrap them," she said sheepishly, handing them to Suzuki. "'Kaa-san did it last night."

Suzuki slowly undid the wrapping, being careful not to tear it. She was just one of those people that didn't go tearing through presents; she usually ended up keeping the wrapping paper and making up some cool craft out of it. She opened the first box, the largest one, and pulled out a dress. She unfolded it and stared at it before looking at Umeko for explanations.

"Isn't it cute? I found it on a website I found in Shoujo Beat. I couldn't resist ordering one for myself, and I thought that since your birthday was coming up, I should order you one as well. I didn't know whether to get you the pale pink one or the black one. 'Kaa-san said you'd look better in the darker color, so…yeah…." She bit the corner of her lower lip. "Do you hate it?" She asked apprehensively, beginning to fidget. Suzuki always knew what to get her for her birthday, but when it came to buying something for Suzuki, Umeko always had trouble. She always ended up getting something that was totally not Suzuki, but Suzuki always accepted it with a smile and ended up using it a whole bunch of times.

"No, I like it, really I do," Suzuki said after looking at the dress a little longer. At first glance, it seemed a little odd and not like something the average person would wear, but that was something fun about Umeko. She always found some of the oddest things and made them beautiful, or put them together to create something beautiful. She fingered the dress, running her fingers over the material. It was so intricately designed, so complicated, yet everything seemed to fit together. She probably wouldn't look as natural in it as Umeko, but it would still look fine, wouldn't it? She set the dress aside and picked up another box, smaller than the first, but still bigger than the ones left. After unwrapping and opening the box, it revealed a pair of black ribbons to go with the dress. Suzuki smiled again before grabbing another box. This one held two items, a ring and a necklace. The ring was actually two rings, gold ones with a gold chain connecting them. The necklace created an A shape, gold with little jewels imbedded in every once in a while. The final box held a pair of small black heels to end the whole ensemble.

"So…say something soon, Suzuki? You're really starting to unnerve me."

Suzuki looked up and replied, "I really like this year's present, Umeko. I really do. Thank you. I'll make sure to wear the entire thing some day soon."

"Yeah," Umeko said, getting excited. "I was thinking that as soon as you get better, we could wear these into Harajuku. We could go shopping and everything. It'd be so much, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it would be," Suzuki replied, packing everything back into their individual boxes. She grabbed her assignment sheet and began looking it over. "Masami-sensei sure is loading us down with things, isn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess," Umeko shrugged. "It's the beginning of a new year, so I guess it's what can be expected. Oh, yeah! There's a new student transferring into our class tomorrow too! Nobody knows if the person's a boy or girl, but we hardly get transfers now! I mean, it's an advanced medical course that you can't just enter on a whim. Either this person is really smart or they took the required classes somewhere else. What do you think?"

Suzuki let out a small giggle. Really, her best friend could sometimes resemble a little kid. It was interesting in a way. She knew how Umeko tried to act indifferent to the world, but she was really alert on what was happening. She could get excited over the simplest things, and this was another aspect of Umeko she had become attracted to. Growing up on the richer side of the tracks, Suzuki only knew materialistic people who only got excited if their son or daughter was marrying some prestigious person, or if their company had succeeded in getting a contract with another great company, things of that sort. Umeko laughed out loud and got hysterical if the next volume in her series of Shoujo manga appeared, or if she received a high score on a test or paper, or simply if she was able to beat a level one Wario in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on her own. Yep, she was just that kind of person. Her laughter was infectious; she was just someone you couldn't hate.

"Suzuki? Earth to Suzuki," Umeko waved.

"Sorry," Suzuki apologized. "I wish I could see the new student. Hopefully I'll get better soon, and I'll finally be able to go to class with you everyday again. It's so boring here. I probably would've left this place two or so weeks ago if Haruki-niichan didn't insist to the doctors I stay here a little longer." Suzuki huffed a little and leaned back against the pillows. "If it were up to you, Umeko, would you have released me already?"

"Well, considering you don't look that bad and you're lively enough to have this conversation with me and whatnot, I'd say you're mentally well at least. Physically well, I'd say you're good as well. You just need to get moving a little, or else when you're finally allowed to leave, you'll end up falling from lack of leg usage, and they'll just end up keeping you in the hospital even longer."

"That's a depressing thought," Suzuki murmured.

fuyu no yoseitachi ga kagayaki maiorite kuru  
nani mo suru koto nai kara egao no shashin kuchidzuketa  
yakusoku shita egai no negai retsu ni futari shite mou narabu koto wa nai no?

"Oh, that's my phone," Umeko stated, digging through her bag. She flipped her Blackberry open and quickly scanned the message before looking up and smiling apologetically at Suzuki. "I have to get going. 'Kaa-san forgot to tell me otou-san was having some guests over for dinner tonight. I really worry for her, sometimes. You want to come along? It might be kind of boring, but I could try convincing the doctors to let you go. You're perfectly fine."

"No thanks, Umeko. I'll be fine here," Suzuki reassured.

"Really?" Suzuki nodded while Umeko packed up. "Okay…but if you change your mind, just call me and I'll make sure a taxi or something comes to pick you up. See you tomorrow, Suzuki. Happy birthday!"

Umeko gave a last wave before quickly bolting out. She checked the time and cursed under her breath. It'd take forty-five minutes to get to her house, and she had a little less than an hour to get there. She'd have to change, do something with her hair, and make it look like she put on some make-up. Her mother probably had a dress and shoes all picked out for her. However, Umeko was not looking forward to wearing heels. Those things could kill a person—literally.

She ran to the nearest subway station, uncaring of who she bumped into. As soon as she walked through the door, her mother ushered her up the stairs, exclaiming over the fact that their guests would be arriving in ten minutes exactly. Closing the bedroom door, the maids quickly stripped Umeko, much to her embarrassment, and put a dress on her. It was black and white, a dress with a satin split bra bodice and a satin bow at an empire waist with a godat and a peek-a-boo side with exposed tulle.

"'Kaa-san," Umeko gritted out, "what am I doing wearing this thing?" She looked disdainfully in the three-way mirror as maids quickly and efficiently curled her hair before pulling half of it back with a silver studded clip. Another maid made to put on Umeko's earrings for her, but she grabbed them with a small scowl and did it herself. They were simple little diamond studs. The necklace was plain silver with a small silver heart imbedded with white pearl. Her bracelet was simply a string of pearls. Her shoes were, thankfully, only one-and-a-half inch white heels.

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" Umeko asked, watching as the entire outfit came together. There was something off about it. It didn't really look like her. She made a face at her reflection to which her mother gently reprimanded her.

"Please try to be nice to our guests tonight, Umeko. I know you don't like this sort of thing, but please try for your father, okay?"

Umeko sighed to herself and looked once more into the mirror. She glanced back at her mother and smiled. "You look nice."

"Thank you, sweetie," her mother blushed softly. Tonight her own pink tresses were piled on top of her head and held in with silver studded clips. Her earrings dangled an inch or so with a little pearl hanging. Her dress was a white, slightly off the shoulder dress that fell to her ankles. The sleeves only reached her elbows, and the bodice was intricate and could be adjusted with the ribbons woven in and out of it. The dress accentuated her mother's figure in a beautiful way, showing that even the plainest of women could become beautiful with the right clothes.

"Otou-san helped you pick it out, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did," she replied. "Umeko, be honest. Do you think this dress is a little too much? I thought it seemed a little too young for me, but your father said I looked beautiful in it."

"Don't worry, okaa-san. Otou-san was right; you look beautiful."

Umeko's mother, Tomoyo, smiled at her and began leading her out the door. "Our guests will be arriving in a minute or two. As hosts, we must be there to greet them. Remember to smile, all right?"

"I'll try, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to smile constantly like a Barbie the entire time."

"You don't have to smile the entire time. Just be courteous and charming. Speak when spoken to, and make sure your responses are polite. Just bear with the formalities and you won't have to see any of tonight's faces ever again."

"Promise?" Umeko asked seriously as they descended and went to settle in the sitting area where her father was already sitting, properly groomed, his suit unwrinkled and still in perfect condition.

"I can't promise, but I can positively guarantee."

"Great," Umeko replied, rolling her eyes. She sat beside her mother and waited, trying to calm herself. She had to go into polite rich-girl mode and quick.

"Master, Mistress, Little Miss, the Minowas have arrived," a maid announced, stepping into the room. She gave a small curtsy after Umeko's father gave a nod of acknowledgement. Umeko, Tomoyo, and Hiroki stood as a man, woman, and their son stepped into the room. The woman wore a warm smile, her dark hair falling down her back in waves. She wore a modest, dark blue, long-sleeve dress that hugged her waist before falling down to her ankles. She wore a simple gold chain around her neck. The man was dressed similarly to Hiroki in a black tuxedo with shiny black shoes.

Umeko watched as they filed in, just waiting for dinner to start. The sooner it did, the sooner it ended. That was always the philosophy that kept her spirits high during these things. Her thoughts filled with this, she did a double-take and openly stared at the last guest. There was something familiar about him, but Umeko couldn't put her finger on it. It wasn't until he smirked coolly that she got it.

'This is the same stupid dork that knocked me down earlier,' she fumed inwardly. On the outside, however, she smiled sweetly, to which he returned with his own sarcastic grin. Her look darkened until she smiled even bigger. She grew satisfied at having the last look until he threw a smiley smirk at her. She grit her teeth and followed her parents into the dining room. It was going to be a long, long night, possibly the longest night of Umeko's life.

Commercials

"No! Hey! Wait! You can't just stop there!" Ino yelled, throwing some popcorn at the TV. "Sakura, tell it to come back!" She whined, sipping on some lemonade.

"It's not a dog, Ino-pig," Sakura replied dryly. "It'll come back in a few minutes. Why don't you go refill your popcorn bowl or use the bathroom or something?"

"You're right." Realization dawned on Ino. "I better hurry or I'll miss what's going to happen. Move out of my way, Shika-chan!" She bolted off the sofa and towards the kitchen, the popcorn bowl in hand.

"You're not too bad at acting, you guys," Kiba commented, reaching for his fourth or fifth bowl of chocolate-mint cookies.

"It took so many takes though," Sakura replied sheepishly. "It was so hard to act like someone else while still trying to be yourself. Hinata-chan was pretty good, but…I think Uchiha got pretty irritated." 'Yes! Ha, ha, ha!' Inner Sakura yelled. 'Ah…fun times…fun times.'

"He doesn't seem to have it hard at all," Temari commented. "All he's had to do is walk, smirk, and attempt a smile."

"Yeah, but his part's going to get harder soon enough. It's going to be…a…new side to Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura put with a small nod from Hinata.

"This is actually a little fun, filming a drama and all. It's a new and fun experience," Hinata spoke, nibbling on a sandwich.

"Hey, Ino, it's starting," Shikamaru called. He moved aside as Ino came running through, trying not to spill anything, stepping over everyone to her spot on the sofa.

"Yes, made it in time," she said triumphantly as the drama began again.

**A/N: Wow…hope that was a good enough update for not doing so in over two months. :sweatdrop: Anyway, let's put down some disclaimers. I don't own Nightmare before Christmas, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The first song was Why Can't I? by Liz Phair (a song I have totally become obsessed with) and then Winter Love by BoA (which is also super duper awesome). **

**Oh, and Suzuki's outfit can be found on this website: ****www.babyssb.co.jp****. So, basically, the entire ensemble doesn't belong to me; it belongs to Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. Believe me, these clothes are super cute. Um…here are the numbers for the items Suzuki received: 131861 for the shoes (found under shoes), 130325 for the dress (found under one pieces), 132933 for the ribbons (found under headdresses), 130968 and 129849 for the ring and necklace (found under accessories). Oh, and it can all be reached under 'shopping' once you get to the website. As for Sakura's dress, I didn't make that up. I'm not that detailed to create something like that. Here's where you can find it: /Fashion/ViewDetail.asp?page3&CatID146&CENID3016****. The dress belongs to Deb Shops, of course. **

**As for Shojo Beat magazine, it doesn't belong to me either. I love reading it, and subscribing to it would benefit you a lot if you like Crimson Hero, Vampire Knight, Haruka: Beyond the Stream of time, Sand Chronicles, Honey and Clover, or just getting extra little tidbits about Japan or doing little craft projects. Those are pretty cool. Anyway, like I've said a billion times before, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I hope you're all as happy-dappy as I am. Surprisingly enough, I have the next chapter out already! Ah! I know you're all excited. I am too! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. **

* * *

As soon as the door closed behind Umeko, Suzuki's smile faded. She sighed and inwardly cursed herself. She'd refused the offer in hopes that Haruki-niichan would come and pick her up for a birthday party or something. Usually he wasn't one to plan anything like that. Any birthday parties she or her other siblings had had were always planned by their mother. She laughed a little at the thought of her brother planning anything. Even if he was the next heir to all their father's companies, he still needed to work on his social skills. He could easily close a business deal with one of the most stubborn and prominent businesses, but that was after she or her mother talked to the CEO of that company and convinced them to come in for a meeting.

Now she wondered how he was doing with the companies. With her in the hospital for a little bit and their mother out of the country, he must've had to talk to people on his own. Then again, he could've always hired someone to talk to the bosses for him. With his looks and wealth, he could easily convince any girl to do something for him. No, he wasn't the playboy type, but he did take advantage of what he had. If he didn't want to do something, he almost always got someone else to do it for him; as far as Suzuki knew, he'd always done that. Their father didn't care as long about Haruki's social skills as long as he was able to drag in a company and make a contract.

I knew that we belonged together  
Long before I knew your name  
And the only thing I longed for  
Was a sign to prove you felt the same

Suzuki quickly reached for her phone and almost dropped it once or twice. She answered it on the fifth ring with a breathless, "Hello?"

"Suzuki-chan, it's me, Natsu," a voice answered on the other end. "I know this is pretty last-minute, but I'm on my way over. I know the doctors said you shouldn't leave the hospital, but I got them to okay it for tonight at least. Are you well enough to go out?"

"Y-yes, Natsu-kun," Suzuki replied, relief and happiness surging through her. Perhaps Natsu hadn't really forgotten her birthday at all.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes. See you then. Bye, Suzuki-chan."

"B-bye, Natsu-kun," said Suzuki, feeling her face start to heat up. She set down her phone and looked around, wondering if someone had brought her clothes from home for some random reason. Finding no bag, she spotted Umeko's birthday gifts. She smiled to herself a little apprehensively. Even if she'd stick out…this was the perfect opportunity to show off something different, something uninspired by the usual high fashion brands.

She headed to the bathroom and removed the hospital gown before pulling the dress over her head. She buttoned and adjusted it, enjoying the soft feel of the fabric against her skin. She turned to the mirror and clipped the ribbons on, brushing back some stray hairs. She put on the necklace and ring before stepping into her shoes, the last element of the outfit. She stared at herself in the mirror and made a few minor adjustments. She swallowed and wondered if she looked fine. The same past thought ran through her once again; Umeko would definitely look pretty in such an outfit, but Suzuki…would she just look awkward?

"Suzuki-chan?" She heard Natsu call.

"I-I'm c-coming, Natsu-kun," she answered, grabbing the hospital gown. She grabbed the bathroom doorknob and breathed in and out a few times, preparing herself. If Natsu-kun liked it, perhaps that was all that mattered. She wanted to look beautiful in his eyes; Suzuki finally decided all others didn't matter. The only person she wanted to notice her—really notice her—was Natsu. Slowly she turned the knob and stepped out of the bathroom.

Natsu was sitting in a chair, nonchalantly flipping through the magazines Umeko had brought for her. His blonde hair fell into his eyes, causing him to occasionally reach up and run a hand through. He scowled a few times as the hairs refused to stay away. Hearing her come out, he looked up and smiled. Natsu set down the magazine and stood, picking up his jacket.

"You look nice," he complimented, sliding on his jacket.

"Thank you, Natsu-kun. Umeko got it for me," Suzuki blushed softly, following him out of the room after dropping the hospital gown on a nearby chair.

"Ah, yes, the infamous Umeko who I have yet to meet," said Natsu, shaking his head knowingly. "So when am I going to meet her? I swear, you've been friends with her for so long, yet I've never seen or heard of her at all. Are you sure she even exists, Suzuki-chan? I'm starting to worry for you a little. Maybe Haruki-teme was right about you staying in the hospital a little longer. Just kidding, just kidding," Natsu added quickly, feeling Suzuki's aura begin to fall down into the deep pit of despair. "It's no fun with just your brother around. We need you to sort of complete our little trio."

"Yeah…so…where exactly are we going, Natsu-kun?" Suzuki asked as they entered the parking lot, hoping he would say they were heading to a restaurant or some other place for a birthday party.

"We're going to the beach. The team called and said they found some really good opponents who wanted to play tonight," he answered without looking at her, searching around for his car. He finally spotted it and walked over, a dejected Suzuki following after.

"That's great, Natsu-kun," she replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. He wanted her out of the hospital to watch him play against some other guys? 'Oh, well,' she thought to herself, 'I enjoy watching his volleyball games. This will be a nice change of pace.' With that thought in mind, her spirits were a little uplifted as she stepped into his car.

* * *

Umeko sat, chewing slowly on her steak. Not even her favorite classic main course (a juicy well-done steak with creamy mashed potatoes, and then a side of stir fry, composed of broccoli, mushrooms, and meat) could lighten her mood. Even if it was the tastiest thing she'd tasted that day, it didn't help much. Unfortunately, she was sitting across from the guy who'd made her mood worse than usual. Her father and his were sitting across from each other on the other end of the table, discussing business and sports, while the women talked about a recent marriage into the Minowa family. The children's end of the table was deathly quiet. No one except the two participants could feel th dark, crackling aura.

"Why so tense, Umeko-san?"

Umeko swallowed her food and asked sweetly with a contradicting bitter smile on her face, "Who said you could address me by my first name?"

Some of the maids backed away, feeling the air surrounding the pair delve deeper and deeper into a dark abyss of despair. They each excused themselves to the kitchen as their Little Mistress' mood grew fouler with the Little Minowa's smile.

"Umeko-san, as far as my father has told me, we'll be seeing each other a lot. Has your father not entrusted that sort of information to you yet?" He pat the corners of his mouth with a napkin cloth like a properly brought up child before looking up at her and smirking knowingly.

Maybe it was simply because he'd knocked her down before and hadn't apologized that she held a grudge against him, but…she was really starting to hate him. There was no way she was seeing him more than this one time. Suddenly a thought struck her. She put down her fork and knife before glancing over at her parents.

'They wouldn't dare…' was her first thought after the horror passed.

'Well…they might. I mean, they are part of the business body. They need concrete ways of ensuring trust in other companies. I mean, it's totally possible, right?' Inner Umeko answered, sitting down cross-legged, thinking.

'But this isn't a manga! This is real life, dammit! I will not marry this bastard! So help me, I will struggle and scream before I marry him! I'll even run away if I have too! There is no way! I hate him already, and I hardly even know the guy! Okaa-san and otou-san wouldn't dare do something as clichéd as this! I need to talk to Suzuki-chan! Now before I go crazy talking to myself!'

'Then what the heck are you waiting for?' Inner Umeko asked in an irritated tone. 'Go ahead; the Minowa kid is looking at you funny.'

'Great,' Umeko thought sarcastically, 'this is exactly what I need. No, wait! If he thinks I'm crazy, and if okaa-san and otou-san are really intent on getting me married to him, he'll absolutely refuse because I'm a freak! Yes! This plan cannot lose!'

'Yes it can, genius,' Inner Umeko replied. 'Haven't you been paying attention to anything? Usually when the heroine does that, the guy only becomes more attracted to her! It's so obvious!'

'But the guy was attracted to the heroine in the first place. I highly doubt this guy,' they both glanced at Haruki who had calmly returned to eating, 'would be attracted to someone like me. If he liked me, he'd compliment me and flirt with me. Even if I am clueless in the ways of flirting, he is not doing it. Beside, does this guy look like someone who'd be attracted to an otaku girl? I don't think so. He seems like someone who'd go for the super smart but preppy girl. Right? Maybe acting like myself will end up driving him away.'

Inner Umeko shrugged her shoulders. 'Do what you want. We'll just…go with the flow…?'

'Yep!' Umeko chirped happily. "Watch my amazing otaku powers soar to absolute greatness!"

"Umeko, sweetheart, are you alright?" Umeko blinked once, twice before lowering her clenched fist. She looked around at everyone, turning a bright red. She hadn't just…had she? Had she really said the last part out loud? Well…it was possibly better than saying everything out loud, but…it was the start of the "get-this-guy-to-hate-you-or-else-you-might-end-up-marrying-him ordeal". The youngest Minowa's eyes were the last ones she made contact with. It didn't help that he flashed her a squeal-inducing smirk.

"Uh, um, I'm sorry," Umeko apologized, lowering her gaze. The maids quickly saw it was time to bring out dessert. They rushed in and removed the main course dishes while others brought out a light dessert.

Even if she didn't care what he thought of her, she'd still made a fool out of herself. 'Wow…it seems like today is a good day for that to happen,' she thought sarcastically to herself. For some reason, she felt like talking to Suzuki. Hopefully she'd been right about Suzuki's brother and _Natsu-kun_ putting together a party for her. So help her, she would hunt them down if they didn't.

Umeko didn't speak during the rest of dinner; in fact, she hardly ate any of her dessert. Right after finishing, everyone moved back to the living room and sat. The men and women continued to talk while Umeko and the Minowa heir sat and stared around. At around seven or so, the men stood up and clasped hands. The mothers did as well and said their small good-byes. Umeko stood beside her mother, while the Minowa heir did the same.

"Haruki, don't be rude, dear," his mother softly chided, smiling at Umeko.

"…'Bye…dork," he smirked.

'Hm…doesn't that name sound familiar?' Inner Umeko asked, staring more intently at 'Haruki's' face. 'Minowa Haruki…Minowa Haruki….'

Realization suddenly dawned on Umeko as she blurted out, "You're Minowa Haruki!" It was the same boy—okay…maybe now a man—that she'd had a huge crush on years ago. He didn't look the same as he did then. The only similar things were the dark eyes, dark hair, and exceptionally pale skin. He was definitely a lot taller than her now and more…well…he looked good, she would admit.

Inner Umeko slapped her for thinking such a thing. 'Just because we suddenly realized he's your childhood crush does not mean you can go drooling over him, alright? Get a hold of yourself, woman!'

'I am, I am! I'm sorry, okay?'

"Yes, just figured that out, genius?" Haruki smirked again. As soon as he'd heard they were visiting the Kozue family, he'd instantly remembered the little pink-haired girl from his childhood. Seeing her again that night had only confirmed his assumptions. It was amusing to see she'd only recognized him now.

Umeko flushed at his comment, embarrassed again.

Both sets of parents laughed. "Well, I'm glad our children are getting along. I was worried there was a problem," Hiroki chuckled.

"Yes, I'm glad as well. Good-bye then." The three Minowas then left.

"Umeko, sweetheart, did you really now know that was Minowa Haruki?" Her mother asked worriedly, following her daughter up the flight of stairs.

"I had a little brain relapse, okaa-san. It's nothing to worry about; my brain's so full of medical terms and whatnot that remembering a name from my childhood was something I didn't expect I'd need."

"I would've thought you'd have been jumping up and down with joy," Hiroki laughed. "You used to like the boy so much. Many times when you talked, it was always 'Minowa-kun this, Minowa-kun that.' I thought tonight's atmosphere had been due to nerves, but I see it was due to an entirely different reason."

"Yep, that's for sure, otou-san. Good-night," she nodded, stepping into her room.

"Night, sweetie," Tomoyo replied, stepping into her own room.

"Night," her father answered, following in after Tomoyo.

Umeko smiled and shook her head. She immediately went to gather her pajamas and headed for the bathroom for a quick shower. Even through it was still pretty early, she had class tomorrow and had to get a whole bunch of hours of sleep in order to function properly in class. Without Suzuki there to take notes in case she fell asleep, she had to be extra productive. Plus, she had to be the one taking notes for Suzuki too. If Suzuki failed, everyone would know who to blame. All fingers would point to Umeko.

As she stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair, she glanced over at the yearbooks she'd obtained over the years. She felt drawn to them, and immediately set down her towel. She picked up the one she'd gotten in her last year of middle school and shuffled through until she reached her class. She stared at Haruki's picture for a while, comparing his past and present self. It was weird seeing Haruki after all those years. She hadn't get those strange butterflies in her stomach like she used to, which was a good sign. Perhaps her feelings of infatuation had disappeared because she hadn't seen him in so long. She wondered why she'd ever liked him in the first place. Oh well…she was young then and probably blinded by a first crush. That was all there was to it.

"Yep…that's all there is to it. Don't worry, Minowa. I won't be charmed by the likes of you," she muttered, setting down her yearbook and crawling under her covers. She brought them under her chin and snuggled into them contentedly before reaching out a hand and turning off the light.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Um…does anyone even remember what this fic is about? I almost don't. It's been so long since I've written anything. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. **

"Natsumi, can you tell me what exactly this is?" Yuri asked testily, throwing down sheets of paper. She sat down moodily in her chair, her arms folded and forehead creased.

"The…results for the first episode of 'Love is only Imagination'…?" Natsumi asked cautiously, backing up a little from her best friend. When she was in a bad mood, she was…well…like a wave of destruction…a tornado, a tsunami, an atomic bomb, a hurricane…or maybe even a combination of the four. For example, her ex-boyfriend had ditched her on a love cruise. She had, of course, caught him. Yuri hadn't said anything; instead, she'd glared at him, and he'd ended up crying in the corner of the ship for eight days, give or take a few hours when he had to use the bathroom.

Natsumi knew Yuri's anger wouldn't be as harsh because they were best friends, but sometimes there were no exceptions.

Yuri sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. "Natsumi, have you seen these reviews and ratings for yourself? They're not something I'd expect of you or Nobu. I'm disappointed. As far as I've seen, your cast is good, but your storyline can't even compare with what people like nowadays. The first episode sets the standard for the rest of them; if we lose people now, they won't come back for the second or third episode. The first episode is the most vital!" Yuri sighed once again and closed her eyes. She opened them again and looked across the table at Natsumi. "I know you're a beginner, Natsumi, but that's still no excuse. I wish I could erase the entire episode from history, from the minds of all who watched it, but I can't." Yuri sat up straighter in her chair. "I already asked Nobu to see the second episode's script and requested he rewrite it. I know he's not used to rewriting his work; this must be quite a shock to him, but every writer has their low points. It's just sad to think one of them is when his wife is the producer."

"What are we going to do then? The next episode is supposed to come out on Wednesday. It's Saturday already. Nobu's been staying up late for the past couple nights, but I don't think he's gotten anywhere. I'm worried for how this will affect his health. But, even if Nobu did come up with something, I don't know if we'd be able to shoot it all in time for Wednesday. I don't want to suddenly put it on hiatus, Yuri."

"I know, I know. But, knowing your husband, he'll pull through. He's determined and keeps his promises, remember? I thought that was the reason why you fell in love with him."

Natsumi blushed slightly. "Yes, it is part of the reason," she murmured. "What should I tell the cast?"

"Just tell them the truth, Natsumi. Tell them the writer is working on the next episode and will reveal it as soon as he can."

**Get a load of me, get a load of you**

**Walkin' down the street, and I hardly know you**

**It's just like we were meant to be**

**Holding hands with you when we're out at night**

"Oh, that's my phone. Sorry, Yuri." Natsumi shuffled through her purse, beginning to panic as the song continued. "Where is it? Where is it, Yuri?!"

"Here," Yuri said, handing the small silver phone to its owner.

"Thanks," Natsumi replied, quickly opening it. "Hello? Oh, hi, Nobu. Love, what are you saying? I'm sorry, but I can't understand you. You're a depressed twit? You've grown a million zits? You finished the script? So?" Natsumi paused for a few seconds before exclaiming, "You finished the script! That's wonderful! I'll be home soon! Can I get a cake, too? I just want to celebrate! Please? I'll make sure to get one of the cakes from Rose Café. I promise! Thank you! Bye, bye. Love you." Natsumi ended the call with a broad smile on her face.

"That was--"

"Nobu, I know," Yuri replied. "You better hurry and get that cake before the shop closes. It's Saturday, remember? They close early."

"You're right! I'm sorry I have to leave early, Yuri. I'll call you after I'm done reading the script." Natsumi quickly began gathering her things, looking around once or twice to make sure she had it all.

"It better not be at two in the morning or anything. Knowing you, you'll end up doing something with your husband until midnight and then start reading, which won't end until about two or three hours later."

"Um…will you be mad if that…does…happen…?" Natsumi asked hesitantly with a smile on her face.

"Not as much as I would be if I didn't know about it," Yuri replied. "You and Nobu better not eat all that cake yourselves. Bring me some tomorrow, okay?"

"Promise!" Natsumi yelled as she ran out the door. She pulled off her heels and began running down the sidewalk, making sure to dodge people. She had to get there before they closed. Maybe Sakura was working now and could make her a cake. She sure hoped so.

* * *

**Get a load of me (Umeko walking and chatting with family), get a load of you (Haruki walking with friends while they joke around behind him)**

**Walkin' down the street (pass each other in the street in their own groups), and I hardly know you (hardly know you) (slows down as Haruki and Umeko pass each other)**

**It's just like we were meant to be (childhood Haruki grudgingly giving childhood Umeko cookies)**

**Holding hands with you when we're out at night (Haruki grabbing Umeko's hand as fan girls walk by)**

**Got a girlfriend, you say it isn't right (isn't right) (Miki latching on to Haruki's arm)**

**And I've got someone waiting too (Kazuki calling Umeko's name)**

**What if this is just the beginning?**

**We're already wet, and we're gonna go swimming ("Get in here," Haruki gestures. "No way, perv," Umeko replies indignantly, crossing her arms, her nose held high in the air.)**

**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?**

**Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? ("So do you like him?" Suzuki asks seriously. "No way in hell," Umeko replies, a small, almost unnoticeable blush on her face)**

**It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it**

**So tell me**

**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("You know…I heard a strange rumor the other day. You wouldn't happen to know what it is, would you?" asks Haruki, his dark eyes almost breaking Umeko's strongly built defense. "Of course not! I never get rumors until it's over." She replies confidently.)**

**Whenever I think about you(x4) (smirking Haruki and glaring Umeko, blushing Suzuki and smiling Natsu, serious Kazuki, pouting Miki)**

**Isn't this the best part of breakin' up? ("I think it'd be best if you break up with him," Haruki suggests gently.)**

**Finding someone else you can't get enough of, ("Suzuki, Haruki said you needed help with something?" Yukio sets his bag down next to hers.)**

**Someone who wants to be with you too ("Uh-um-y-yes," she replies hesitantly, her smile fading as she spots Natsu over Yukio's shoulder.)**

**It's an itch we know we are gonna scratch ("Natsu-kun, I think that was poison ivy," Suzuki whispers, worried.)**

**Gonna take a while for this egg to hatch (Natsu and Suzuki looking down at an egg through which a chick is emerging)**

**But wouldn't it be beautiful? ("Beautiful," Natsu murmurs (at the same time as liz phair says beautiful), his eyes trained on Suzuki.)**

**Here we go, we're at the beginning ("I like you!" Umeko shouts, a sudden blush growing on her face.)**

**We haven't fucked yet, but my head's spinning ("No, no, no! This is all a plot to get him to go out with you! Snap out of it, Umeko!" Yells Inner Umeko.)**

**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("Hey, Umeko-chan, you're turning pink," Suzuki comments anxiously.)**

**Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? ("Suzuki, stop looking out the window. I know you like him a lot…but still," Umeko replies, huffing.)**

**It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it ("I want to be with you," Natsu says seriously.)**

**So tell me ("Umeko, tell me the truth," demands Haruki.)**

**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("Haruki, you're drooling, teme. Stop it…it's scaring me," Natsu says, looking away.)**

**High enough for you to make me wonder**

**Where it's goin' ("Haru-kun, you promised my father we'd get married," Miki whines, tugging on his arm.)**

**High enough for you to pull me under**

**Somethin's growin' ("Well…if you want to get married, then go ahead," Haruki says coldly.)**

**Outta this that we can't control**

**Baby I'm dyin' ("Natsu, damn it; this is serious!" Haruki grabs Natsu's collar and pins him to the wall.)**

**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("I don't know what else to do anymore, 'kaa-san," Umeko whispers.)**

**Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? ("Natsu…hey, dobe, what's wrong with you?")**

**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("Is Haruki-chibisu having girl problems?" Ayako teases.)**

**Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? ("Kazuki-kun…doesn't being silent ever bother you?")**

**It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it ("Come to the beach," Natsu urges Suzuki before escaping out the window.)**

**So tell me ("I'm waiting, Umeko," Haruki states irritably.)**

**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? ("Just leave me alone," Umeko says, turning her music louder.)**

**Whenever i think about you (x4) (Suzuki and Umeko, Umeko with her mom and dad, Haruki with his friends, all the characters)**

**(_Love is only Imagination_ appears on the screen)**

* * *

"So, mom, dad, is anything wrong? You've both seemed kind of…I don't know…antsy…?" Umeko asked, confusion written all over her face. When she'd asked for a haircut, her parents had been thrilled. Well, thrilled was a little bit of an understatement. Her mother had embraced her tightly, squeezing her so hard she had begun turning blue. Her father had smiled at her with fatherly affection and patted her head. Now she was in her bathroom while the beautician worked on her hair. Usually she'd be faced toward the mirror because she liked seeing what the hairdresser was doing to her hair. She found it interesting. However, her mother had convinced her it was so much better to find out later. Umeko had hesitatingly agreed and was now watching as her hair fell down to the floor. Perhaps she was simply being paranoid, but there seemed to be more hair on the floor than she wanted.

"Tomoyo-san, is this satisfactory?" The hairdresser asked, putting down her scissors.

Tomoyo speedily walked over and circled her daughter a few times. She gently touched Umeko's pink locks and stepped back a few times to ponder. "Yes," she finally said after a few minutes observation. "Thank you for coming on such short notice and doing such a tremendous job, Emily-chan."

"Do not worry too much, Tomoyo-san. Now, if I may take my leave?"

"Yes, of course," Tomoyo replied immediately. "The maids will hand you the money before you walk out the door. I hope to see you again next week for my haircut?"

"As always, Tomoyo-san," Emily replied before giving a small bow and leaving. As she made her way down the stairs, she brushed invisible dust off her shoulders. Emily wondered if Umeko was really aware of what had happened to all her precious hair. 'Then again, she never really cared about such things. I'm sure she'll like the shorter hair…although…perhaps it's a bit too short. I wonder what Tomoyo-san has up her sleeve this time.'

"A-ah, M-miss Em-Emily," one of the newest maids stuttered, "h-h-here's the-the m-m-money for-for Miss U-Umeko's hair-haircut." The maid was blushing furiously, her head bowed, her hands outstretched, holding an envelope. The maid's actions were understandable; after all, Emily was one of the world's top beauticians, first discovered as a young girl by Emiko herself.

"Thank you," Emily said as the maid handed over the envelope.

"Y-y-you're-you're we-welcome," she whispered, lifting her head slightly.

Another maid opened the door for Emily, and just as she was about to step out, a loud scream made its way to her ears. It echoed throughout the entire house, bouncing off the walls and disturbing every resident. The maids looked at each other, bowed to Emily, and dashed up the stairs to see what had happened to their young Miss. Emily gave a small chuckle and shut the door behind her.

* * *

"Mom…!" Umeko thundered, bolting out of her chair. "What did Emily do to my hair?! I know I asked to get it cut, but I didn't mean for this to happen! Explain right now, please!" She swiveled around to face her parents, her arms crossed. Her hair, which had once reached mid-back, had been chopped down enough to simply brush the back of her neck. She now had bangs which faintly brushed over her eyes, and the hair on the sides fell down in layers until it met up with the hair at the nape of her neck.

"Mom, this is a joke, right? This isn't my real hair, right?!" Umeko turned around to look in the mirror, running a hand through the hair. She pulled a little and sighed dejectedly after finding out it was her real hair.

"But…don't you like it…?" Tomoyo ventured hesitantly. "You were always complaining about how your long hair got in your way all the time. I know you've been growing it out for a long time to satisfy your father and me, but it looks better this way, doesn't itb honey?" Tomoyo turned to Hiroki for support.

"Yes, sweetheart, it looks much better now." He added in an unconvincing voice.

"Mom, what are you planning?" Umeko asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, dearest. Why would you think such a thing?" Tomoyo countered frantically.

"Tomoyo-san, the uniform has arrived. Would you like me to place it in Miss Umeko's room, or will she try it on here?" A maid asked, rushing in with a bag.

"A uniform? Mom, my university doesn't have uniforms as a dress code."

"Uh, well…yours doesn't, but…the new one you'll be attending on Monday requires that every student wear the uniform."

"Mom," Umeko dragged out, "I already agreed to go to the university closest to home. I can't believe you're making me move when I'm only half-way through. Can't you at least wait until after I graduate? Then you'll be free to move as far away as you want."

"Umeko, sweetheart, we're not moving. You're going to Osaka on your own, I'm afraid," Hiroki inserted.

"Wh-why?! I can't leave Suzuki alone! Who's going to watch over her? What if something happens while I'm gone?! Why am I the only one that's going?! I'm so confused!"

"Ah, Haruna-san, you can give me the uniform. Umeko can try it on here. Thank you." The maid handed Tomoyo the uniform and left in a hurry. "Sweetie, here's the uniform. I want you to at least try it on first. We'll explain after."

"Can't you explain now and let me try later?" Umeko suggested, desperately grasping for answers. Nothing was making sense anymore. First the short hair and now she was moving somewhere by herself? If she'd had more time to prepare, she may have been more excited, but now she was just flustered.

"I'll explain while you try on, all right?" Tomoyo compromised. "Dear, if you could leave us alone?" Hiroki nodded, glad he wasn't about to tell their daughter about her predicament.

Tomoyo handed the bag over to Umeko and shut the door. She took a deep breath and sat on the sink counter. She wanted to word it lightly so as not to upset Umeko, but she also wanted to be straightforward with her daughter.

"So, mom, can you start explaining why I have short boy hair now? And why I'm the only one moving to Osaka?"

"All right, but promise me you'll remain calm throughout my entire explanation, okay?" Tomoyo only began talking again once Umeko agreed. "You remember your Auntie Jun and Uncle Matt, right? They've been in the U.S. for the longest time, and they felt it was time for your cousin, Akihiko, to visit his home country. He's spent the past year studying Japanese language and culture. He was supposed to attend a private university in Osaka starting Monday. However, it seems he's disappeared. He's taken a few of his belongings and most of his money out of his savings account. Akihiko may have escaped with a girl he's been dating since the beginning of high school."

"Aki…I never took him for much of a romantic. Hopefully his girlfriend is smart because Aki isn't too much of a brain himself. But, anyway, you want me to go in his place, right?" Umeko answered. "Auntie Jun and Uncle Matt must've been saving up a lot. Tuition is expensive, and to include a plane ticket and everything else to bring his stuff over is a lot as well. I can understand why you guys wouldn't want to waste money. However, isn't the school willing to give back the money? Couldn't you or dad give them money to make up for what they lost? You know we have more than enough to survive."

"Your father and I have already given them money, but you know your auntie Jun as well. She just refuses any help whatsoever. I was able to sneak a couple million yen into their accounts, and I'm still waiting for a call from Jun. That aside, would you really want your auntie Jun and uncle Matt's money to go to waste? Also, you'd get to experience life away from home, kind of like a vacation."

"Except I'll be attending school, and—what the heck is this?!" Umeko held up the uniform for her mother to see. Instead of the standard plaid skirt, white blouse, white socks, and blazer she was used to, Umeko was holding up a pair of pressed navy blue pants, a short-sleeved, button-up, collared shirt, a dark blue sweater vest, and a dark blue blazer. "Mom, I think they got my uniform mixed up with some guy's."

"Well, actually, Umi, I was just about to get to that part." Umeko paused. Her mother only ever used that nickname when she was about to say something that would upset Umeko. She warily eyed her mother as she began speaking. "The thing is, Umi, a _boy_ has been registered to attend the school. Its co-ed, but it would be strange to suddenly change the gender of the student from a male to a female."

"Who cares what other people think? I am _no_t going to that school and pretending to be Aki. Why do I have to pretend to be Aki, anyway? Why can't Emiko pretend to be Aki? She looks more like him than I do; they are siblings after all."

"Except she doesn't have the pink hair you both share."

"That's why there's something called a wig, mom."

"What if the wig were to get caught in something? They would think Emiko was a pervert or something."

"And they won't think I'm one? Okay, I know I have small breasts, and I'm probably the least curvy woman in the world, but still, I'm a girl. I don't even know how guys are supposed to act. What if I act too much like a girl? Then I'll be found out and labeled as a pervert for the rest of my life. I won't be accepted anywhere; I'll have to live in a box for the rest of my life. No!" Umeko cried dramatically, thinking of all the worse case scenarios. She clawed at her face, dread and panic intermixed on her face. "I'll never get married, either. The family line will end with me! I won't even be able to show my face in front of my friends! Even if I got plastic surgery, people would still recognize me and get me thrown in jail! I'll end up rotting in a jail cell _instead_ of a box!"

"Umeko, sweetie, calm down," said Tomoyo, trying to soothe her daughter's frazzled nerves. "You won't be labeled a pervert. In fact, I doubt you'll be found out at all."

"How do you know that?! What if I'm changing and I forget to lock the door? What if I leave an underwear or bra lying around? Someone would think I'm a pervert stealing some other girl's underwear! What if I leave a tampon lying around? Wouldn't people get suspicious? What am I going to do when I have my period? I can't just say I had a really bad bloody nose! Isn't a bloody nose the sign of a perv? People get bloody noses when they're thinking really disturbing thoughts! Mom! Why are you making me do this?! Go hire someone desperate, and dye their hair pink!"

"Kozue Umeko, calm down this instant!" Her mother thundered, stopping Umeko's blabbering. "Take deep breaths. Now, try to think positive. You won't be found out. You'll get a good education, learning about something totally different from being a doctor. And you know what's even better? You might get a sexy roommate."

"And if I started hitting on him because I'm a girl, he might turn out to be gay, and there goes my dream of having a sexy boyfriend."

"But you'd have a sexy friend, right?"

"That's true," Umeko nodded. Then she stopped. "Wait! We're getting completely off subject! I don't want to do this!"

"Not even for mommy and daddy?" Tomoyo pouted, using her last means of convincing her daughter.

"No, I'm not falling for that, mom. Once I've made up my mind, I will not change it."

"I will forcefully send you there. Then if you blabber, you really _will_ be labeled as a pervert," Tomoyo countered in a serious voice.

"What if someone there recognizes me though? I know it's one-in-a-million, but what if someone from here sees me? They'll confront me, or if they're an enemy, they might even report me! There are so many bad possibilities."

"They have an otaku convention coming up soon," Tomoyo said, faintly remembering something she'd read a few weeks ago.

Umeko instantly swerved around, stiff. "An otaku convention?"

"Yep," continued Tomoyo, "and they apparently have a club dedicated to anime and manga at the university. It's very popular. Sometimes they even take trips to other cities to check out the conventions. It's all very organized and efficient. I was going to mention it earlier, but you never gave it a chance. I guess if you don't want to attend, I'll call Jun and ask if Emiko can go in your place."

"She can't! Emiko isn't even interested in that stuff! She doesn't even know what gothic Lolita is! How can someone not know what that is?! She doesn't even know the difference between goth and punk! She thinks they're the same, but they're completely different! Emiko probably doesn't even get what anime is! And you know what the worst of it is?" Umeko's voice lowered to a whisper. "She doesn't even know who Olivia Lufkin is! As 'informed' as she is, how can she not know who one of the greatest singers in the world is? Oh, and the last time I talked with her, I told her I needed to go buy some of the latest volumes of my manga. And you want to know what she thought I was talking about?" Umeko answered herself by saying, "some new brand of jewelry that no one had discovered yet! How can you even suggest sending someone like that to a university where anime is worshipped? Only your otaku daughter can satisfy them!"

"But you said you didn't want to go," Tomoyo pointed out, feigning confusion.

"Mom," Umeko stated in a serious voice, "didn't you just listen to my explanation? That school needs another otaku to support them! Who else is better than me?!"

"Then…you'll even wear the uniform?"

"Of course! Wearing pants is so much better than wearing a skirt. I can sit anyway I want, and I won't have to worry about flashing the world."

"And…you'll…you're willing to pretend to be a boy?"

"Yes! It's just like being Mizuki-chan in Hana-kimi! Only, with my luck, I'll be stuck with some nerd whose name I will probably never remember. Ah…Izumi…I wish you were real. Mizuki-chan…you are so lucky!"

"All right, if you say so," Tomoyo said, sighing. She secretly hid a grin, leaving her daughter alone to gush about Izumi Sano and other bishounen.

"I'm guessing you were successful then?" Hiroki asked, watching his wife giggle to herself.

"Of course, Hiro-chan," Tomoyo replied confidently. "I know my daughter's weaknesses like the back of my hand." Hiroki only chuckled. He'd heard the entire conversation and wondered how soon Umeko would come to realize she'd agreed to become a boy.

**A/N: Okay…I've become a little obsessed with gender benders. My mangas have been filled with nothing but gender benders. I mean, there's still my usual Naruto, Skip Beat!, and High school debut reading, but gender benders are just…I don't know…they're addictive. My favorite one is W Juliet. I guess you could say gender benders became my inspiration for this little twist; I've been contemplating these past few months, and this is what I've come up with. Hopefully it was a good choice. Read and review please!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Wow…O.O It's been forever since I've updated this, huh? Don't worry. This one's super long (I hope). Sorry if you'll have to go back and reread stuff to understand. I have to do that too. I've been feeling so uninspired lately, and I seem unable to finish anything. I come up with an idea and write a summary, but the actual story-writing is too complicated. Anyway, here's Yuki-chan with the newest chapter of Love is Only Imagination.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the songs either. Although I love them both, I sadly cannot sing or compose music.**

Dark figures stealthily leapt from one shadow to the next, only glancing at each other once in a while to communicate. Rapid movement and efficiency like none other was needed if the assassination of the Uchiha clan was their goal.

**

* * *

**

Fugaku sat in bed, fully clothed, a cell phone in one hand, the other stroking his wife's hair. She lay beside him, sleeping soundly, innocently, unaware of the world around her. He pressed the number four on his phone and hoped his son, for once, didn't have his phone on silent.

**

* * *

**

_Every breath you take,_

_Every move you make,_

_Every single day,_

_I'll be watching you._

"What the hell?" Sasuke muttered into his pillow. He blearily opened his eyes as the tune continued. He reached out a hand, searching for the object of his irritation. "Moshi Moshi, Sasuke."

"Sasuke."

Sasuke sat up straighter, wide awake. "Yes, Father?" He asked monotonously. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Where are you?" Fugaku asked on the other side.

"I'm in America. I'll be back in Japan in a few days."

"Good, good," Fugaku murmured.

"Why?" Sasuke questioned. His father had never taken the time to call and check up on him before.

"Just curious. Well, good night, son. Take good care of yourself and proudly carry on the Uchiha name."

"Yes, Father," Sasuke replied obediently. He hung up, feeling a little strange about his Father's behavior. He set his phone on the nightstand and pulled up his blankets. Maybe his Father was going through one of those old people stages? He shrugged and shut his eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep, unaware of the activities over the Pacific.

**

* * *

**

"Mikoto, wake up." Fugaku shook her gently, hurriedly.

"What is it?" She murmured, snuggling into the blankets.

"You must hide. There is trouble outside our walls."

She rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly. "I do not fear any dangers. What about you?"

"This is no time to argue," Fugaku replied resignedly. "These are enemies you cannot handle."

"I do care. I want to fight alongside you and everyone else. I will not hide like a coward."

"No," Fugaku stated furiously. "Listen. You must hide. You need to get away." He looked at his wife, his eyes softening. He reached out a hand and touched her cheek. "At least one of us must live for our sons and see another Uchiha generation."

**

* * *

**

Sakura tossed and turned, her hair in disarray. Her eyebrows were knitted in distress, sweat forming on her brow.

"_Your daughter, where is she?"_

"_Not here, obviously," a man replied cockily. The man let out a small hiss of pain._

"_What do you want with her?" A woman asked defensively with a hint of fear._

"_Well, not that it's really any of your business…but since you'll both be dead anyway…your daughter would be an interesting specimen to study. After all, it's not everyday the child of a human and an artificial being lives past the age of four…or is even born, for that matter. It'd be extraordinary to see how her internal systems work, wouldn't it? The dissection may reveal the closest path to immortality."_

"_You're a madman," the man spat disgustedly. _

_The other man simply shrugged. "I'm merely a scientist, curious about the world and its many wonders. Haven't you ever wanted to make a discovery? I'm just like everyone else."_

"_What a repulsive and pathetic excuse, you monster," the woman hissed._

"_First a madman and now a monster? Oh well," he brushed the comment away with a flick of his hand. "My discoveries, the sacrifice of your one daughter, could save the lives of many," he coaxed._

"_Never," the man answered defiantly._

"_I'd rather die than surrender my little girl to the likes of you or any other," the woman added stoically._

"_That can be easily arranged," the man replied with a crack of his neck._

"_No!" _

_The man jumped in front of his wife and let out a small grunt of pain as he was slammed into the wall. The little girl gave a small whimper and quickly muffled it with her hand. _

_The sound didn't go unnoticed by the hunter. He turned a predatory eye toward the closet, a satisfied smirk on his face. The woman guarded the door protectively, a gun in one hand. She shot at the man with unrivaled precision. He fluidly dodged the shots and brought forward a katana, thrusting it toward her abdomen. She blocked it with her gun and brought forth a small dagger, plunging it into his neck. He gave a startled gasp and retreated a few steps back. The gasps soon turned into chuckles, cackles of delight and amusement._

"_I really shouldn't have underestimated you. Of course, I guess I was being a bit cocky, believing only half my power would be sufficient enough to get rid of you for good." With light speed movement, the man made his way to the woman. _

_She could not stop him as he knocked her gun aside and thrust his katana up and through her heart. She gasped, spitting out blood, much of which landed on his hand. The end of his katana was also bathed in her blood, a deep, dark red hue. He gave a small, agonizing twist before pulling it out with a slow, sickening movement, taking pleasure in the expression he'd brought upon the lovely, artificial woman before him. His katana had been the only thing holding her up, and when it was finally removed, she fell first to her knees, and then down, her blood soaking the carpet of her daughter's room. The man headed to the closet, practically squirming in ecstasy. Everything was going according to plan._

"_Oh, no you don't," the other man replied weakly, letting out a round of shots. _

_The predator again moved quickly, using the woman's body as a shield. He couldn't get hurt, and if he dodged, the child specimen would be damaged._

"_No!" The man let out a frustrated howl._

_The other man dropped the woman's body and pulled out his own gun." Don't waste my time, you pathetic human filth." He said in disgust. He let off a single shot, hitting the man, the bullet lodged in his forehead._

_The little girl had tears streaming down her face. Fear coursed through her body, shaking her to her very core. She found herself cowering, freezing up as the killer moved closer to the closet door. She let out a long whimper when he reached for the doorknob._

"_Stop right there!" The man turned at the sound of the voices._

"_Ah, gentlemen, how nice of you to join us," he stated enthusiastically although his expression said otherwise._

"_Put your hands up!" The man ordered. He wore the Konoha police uniform._

_The man reached his hand into the closet and pulled out the little girl._

"_Let us go, men. Pretend you saw nothing, and we can all get along with our lives."_

"_Not after all you've done. To have you so close and not capture you would be a disgrace."_

"_Then I'm afraid you'll have to live your lives in disgrace." He slowly moved forward, the child tucked under his arm, knowing full well that none of the officers there could match him._

_A dark blur whizzed forward, and he no longer felt the child under his arm. He looked curiously toward the doorway and saw a young man handing the child to another officer. The officer and many others left, leaving the two men and another few for backup. _

_The young man turned, his eyes glowing a dark, blood red. His face was blank, expressionless, yet at the same time held an intensity unbefitting such a child. For the first time in his life, the hunter felt fear. This was no ordinary child._

"_Orochimaru, S-rank criminal wanted for traitorous activity toward Konoha and inhumane experimentations performed on citizens of Konoha. Penalty is death."_

"_My, my, aren't you informed? I must say I am flattered that you know so much about me. Your name, since I don't need to introduce myself?"_

_The young man paused briefly. "Uchiha Itachi."_

"_The Uchiha prodigy of the Konoha police force? Don't I feel special? You would be a wonderful edition to my collection."_

"_Sorry, but I don't have time for such trivial matters." He pulled out a small silver gun and shot._

**

* * *

**

"_Who could it be at this hour?" Inoichi muttered to himself, tying up his robe. He checked through the peephole and was surprised to find Konoha police outside his doorstep. "May I help you?" He asked when he opened the door._

"_Are you Yamanaka Inoichi, friend of Haruno Akira?"_

"_Yes, he is a friend of mine. Why? Has something happened?"_

"_Yes, actually," the officer replied solemnly. "Haruno-san and his wife were murdered just moments ago. We know their killer, and a team was sent after him. Their daughter, Sakura, is the only survivor. You were listed closely among Haruno-san's friends. If it is not too much trouble, would you allow Haruno-chan to stay tonight? Don't worry. Itachi-sama himself is part of the team watching over your household tonight. Kakashi-sama has taken part in tracking down the assailant. We'll come back tomorrow once we have found a close relative for the girl as well as any other relevant information."_

"_All right, thank you. I will take care of Sakura-chan." Inoichi took the small girl in his arms and bid the officers good night. _

"_Who was it?" Midori asked tiredly when he walked upstairs and into the hallway. "Is that…Sakura-chan?"_

"_Yes, Midori," Inoichi whispered. "I'm going to put her in Ino's room. Then I'll explain more." He slowly opened the door to his daughter's bedroom and walked over, gently setting the little pink-haired girl beside his own blonde-haired one. _

"_Daddy?" Ino asked sleepily._

"_Go back to sleep, Ino. Sakura-chan is sleeping over tonight."_

"_Oh, okay," she replied simply, scooting over._

"_Night," Inoichi murmured. Inoichi walked out, closing the door behind him._

_Ino was about to fall back asleep when she heard small sniffles and then muffled sobs._

"_Sakura-chan?"_

"_Ino-chan!" Sakura whispered, wrapping her arms around her best friend. All night, Ino comforted Sakura; she didn't understand her friend's grief, but she would comfort her all the same. _

**

* * *

**

_Kitto kitto bokutachi wa _

_Ikiru mono mi_

Sakura's head snapped up in alarm.

"Ow," she murmured, rubbing the back of her neck. She looked around and found her phone underneath a pile of stuffed animals. "Moshi moshi, Sakura," she whispered, wiping way the tears that had fallen down her face.

"What's wrong?" Gaara asked monotonously from the other end, immediately sensing her grief.

"Nothing…just…I just had a bad dream is all."

"Are you coming to school?"

"Wha-oh, not today. I have to shoot a couple scenes while Uchiha is in America with his crew."

"Hm." Gaara paused briefly before asking, "Were you invited to Uzumaki Naruto's party?"

"Yeah…you?"

"Unfortunately."

Sakura gave a small laugh. "I'd better let you go. You'll get in trouble if you're caught on your phone."

"Yeah, bye."

"Wait, Gaara?" She heard him pause. "Let's go shopping for Uzumaki-san's present after classes Saturday. We haven't hung out in a while, have we?"

"…See you then." Gaara hung up.

Sakura gave a soft smile. She removed her blankets and stepped out of bed. It was only seven. She didn't have to be at the University for shooting until ten.

As she took a shower, she tried recalling her dream. What had stirred such an emotion in her? All she could remember was a voice—Itachi's voice the day he'd saved her. Had she fallen in the frozen lake and he'd saved her? Yes, that was it.

"_Take care of her. Be swift. Get her far from here. I will catch up soon."_

She couldn't remember the event itself, but Itachi had told her he'd been doing a photo shoot that day when he was still working as a model. She'd chased after a small cat and fallen into the ice. However, for some reason, even though her memories revealed the event to be true, her instinct told her otherwise. Although she had always trusted Itachi, and would continue to do so…No, she had to reason to doubt Itachi now. He'd always had her best intentions at heart and taken good care of her. If she had to choose one Uchiha brother, it would only and always be Uchiha Itachi.

**

* * *

**

"Ohayo," she called, stepping into the dining room.

"Ohayo," Midori replied with a smile, setting down the last of breakfast.

Ino walked toward them, sniffling, a blanket wrapped around herself. "You're really getting into the idea of being a boy, aren't you?"

"These aren't that boyish," Sakura protested, peering down at her clothes. She wore a pair of khaki knee-length shorts over webbed stockings and a perfect fitted black polo. "Sick, Ino-pig?"

"Obviously. I just don't get why though. I was fine yesterday."

"Well, it was pretty cold last night. When I checked on you girls, you'd thrown off your blankets, Ino. You must've done it again after I left."

"Maybe." Ino sneezed.

"Bless you," Sakura replied.

"Thanks." She blew her nose and groaned. "Where's dad?"

"He had to leave early this morning," Midori answered, sitting down. She gestured to the girls to sit. "Thanks for the food."

"Thanks for the food," Ino and Sakura added together.

After they ate, Sakura and Ino sat in the living room, killing time by watching the rest of Love is Only Imagination Episode 2.

**

* * *

**

Umeko slipped into a seat near the back, thankful no one had noticed her presence. She set down her bag and loosened her tie. She ran a hand through her chopped hair and slipped on a pair of dark-framed glasses similar to her cousin's. Hopefully, no one would get close enough to realize the lenses weren't actually lenses.

Umeko stifled a yawn and rolled her shoulders, issuing a few cracks. She wondered how Suzuki was faring and when the hell class would start.

"A-ano, c-can I—do you mind if I sit here/"

Umeko looked up to find a red-haired girl standing at the desk beside hers. She nervously adjusted her glasses, waiting for an answer.

"No one's stopping you," Umeko replied nonchalantly.

'Asshole,' immediately thought the red-haired girl, which completely contradicting the smile still pasted on her face. "Thanks," she replied, sitting down. "So, what's your name?"

"Robertson Akihiko."

"Oh, are you new here? I've never seen you before."

"Well, what do you know? I've never seen you before either. Isn't it a shame we ever even had to meet, huh?"

"Listen, you –" the other girl steamed, the frustration clearly displayed on her face.

"What was your name again? It's a bit rude to have asked someone else's name before first introducing yourself."

"Amano Miki," she replied steely.

Before Umeko could make another remark or even burst out laughing, the teacher stepped into the room.

"Ohayo," she greeted cheerfully.

"Ohayo," a few replied.

She began taking attendance when the door slid open again.

"Oh, hell no," Umeko whispered.

For whom could it be but…Minowa Haruki!

'No!' Inner Umeko screamed, grabbing at her now short hair. 'No! No! No! This cannot be happening! I will not allow it! Stupid Mother! Stupid Father! You knew he was coming, didn't you! Damn it all!'

While Inner Umeko was raving and throwing things around, a constipated grimace had made its way onto Umeko's face.

Miki, as well as a few other girls, let out a startled gasp and then a few squeals and fervent whispers. After all, the heir of Minowa Inc. was in their University, and most importantly, their classroom. It was the perfect opportunity for them to wheedle their way into his heart and money. Oh, yes, this year would be sweet.

Miki looked around and found the only empty seat to be right in front of Umeko.

"Robertson-san, switch with me," she hissed.

"Why?" Umeko asked, knowing full well why.

"Just do it. Please."

"But I'm already happily settled," Umeko pouted.

"Hurry up and switch with me. Please."

"Excuse me, is there a problem?"

Both turned to the front.

"No, sensei," Miki answered at the same time Umeko said, "Sensei, Amano-san was trying to bully me out of my seat."

"I was not," Miki replied, flustered. Now she definitely wouldn't forgive the pink-haired boy for embarrassing her in front of Minowa Haruki.

Umeko gave a chuckle and looked forward. "Hey, now you can be reassured that he definitely noticed you." She missed Miki's glare and met Haruki's instead. Rather than look away like her usual girlish self would have, she continued staring.

"Ah, Minowa-kun, there's an empty seat there."

"Hai," Haruki replied, unwilling to back down as he slowly made his way to the seat in front of Umeko.

When he turned away to sit down, Umeko cheered, congratulating herself for her victory. Although he'd needed to sit down, he'd still been the first to look away.

Immediately, they began taking notes on Huckleberry Finn, the first English novel of the semester.

A piece of paper landed on Umeko's desk. She jumped a little and stared suspiciously at the paper. She grabbed and unfolded it.

_Is cross-dressing just a sick hobby of yours, or are my parents marrying me off to a guy?"_

Umeko glared at the back of his head. She hadn't chosen to attend this school as a guy nor had she ever agreed to marry him. How had he recognized her in the first place? She flicked him in the back of the head.

"What the--?" He turned around in his chair, growling.

"Is something wrong, Minowa-kun?"

"No, sensei," he answered, turning back after giving her a glare. Umeko smirked and went back to taking notes.

After classes, Umeko zoomed out of the classroom in search of the Otaku club. She followed her map and ended up by a building a little ways away from the rest of campus. A cobbled pathway led to the double-doors of the 18th century London style mansion. She thought it looked quite beautiful. She took the steps two at a time and used the knocker.

"Yes?" A guy asked warily from the other side.

"Hi, my name's Akihiko, and I'd like to join your club."

"Who is considered the God of Manga?"

"Osamu Tezuka…?" Umeko answered, confused.

"Welcome in." The guy smiled brightly, ushering her in. "The name's Hiroshi. Sorry for being such a creeper before. There are lots of people that come pretending they want to join when really they just want to get a laugh."

"Assholes," Umeko murmured angrily. She knew exactly how he felt. Back home, people had made fun of her for proudly calling herself an otaku.

"Yeah, I know, right? I mean, we never make fun of the basketball team. Well, at least…not publicly." He gave a grin which she returned with a laugh.

"So what do you guys do exactly? I've never been in an otaku club."

"A lot of us usually come here after classes just to do homework and hang out. On Wednesdays after class we watch anime all night and just sleep here. Saturday nights we watch our favorite animes, and on Sundays we just cook a variety of foods and have a big brunch buffet. Most of us suck at cooking, but it's really fun to get everyone together, especially since there aren't many of us. Everyone knows everyone. Oh, and we begin Mondays by talking about whatever mangas we're reading. From time to time we go to a convention, and if we're lucky, we go to other cities and basically just hang out. Ah, here we are."

He opened the set of double doors, revealing a dark room lit only with candles and the natural light from outside.

"How can any of you read in this dark?" Hiroshi asked exasperatedly, flicking on a switch.

Lamps instantly lit up the room. Umeko groaned along with everyone else at the sudden burst of brightness.

"What a bunch of idiots," he murmured, drawing the curtains.

"You totally ruined everything, Hiro-chan. We were trying to give off a cool and mysterious aura, but you just have to be Mr. Logical, don't you?" A girl commented irritably with a huff.

Umeko blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting.

"Who's the noob?" A guy with spiky brown hair asked. His emerald green eyes were trained on his book still, his feet propped on a foot stool.

Umeko looked around, marveling at the library. It was huge, with ceilings reaching fifty feet, and almost all of it was covered with books and manga. A gigantic fireplace lay across from the doorway, surrounded by sofas and armchairs. A rug lay beneath that, and everything else was fine wood. Desks were also scattered here and there, far enough for privacy, but close enough for communication. Each was already covered with stuff, as though everyone already had a desk that belonged to them. Lamps of all shapes and sizes were placed around the room near chairs, desks, and windows.

Umeko stepped in further and saw there was a second story. A few spiral staircases led up to the next floor. Moving ladders were placed there for easier access.

"It's beautiful…amazing," Umeko whispered breathlessly, turning around to absorb all that was going on around her.

"Why are you dressed as a boy?" A girl asked curiously, her face close to Umeko's.

Umeko stumbled back, startled. She hadn't expected the girl to get so close. Heck, she hadn't even realized the girl was there. She had dark black hair with a single streak of red, pulled into two small buns on both sides of her head. She wore bright red lipstick and a light blue Lolita dress. Her nails were painted a pale glossy shade of blue.

"I-I'm not a girl," Umeko retorted weakly, nervously. What had she done to blow her cover?

"Yes, you are. I know it. You agree with me, right, Mako-kun?" She turned to the boy reading in the armchair. He glanced up and then back. "Is cross-dressing a hobby of yours?"

"No," Umeko replied furiously, her face flushing pink.

"Then why are you dressed as a boy when you're clearly a girl?"

"Suki-chan, leave her alone," another girl murmured, sitting up. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and stretched languidly like a cat, her golden tresses falling over her shoulder. "She must have her reasons."

"Everyone, this is our club's newest member, Akihiko-kun," Hiroshi introduced.

"Hey, where's Kazuki-kun?"

"Setting up his telescope as usual," the girl replied, standing.

"Akihiko-kun, you've already met Suki, Makoto, and Hisano. Welcome to our club."

"Akihiko-chan, do you feel uncomfortable with being a girl? Is that why you're posing as a boy? Or are you just a pervert?" Suki continued to pester, sitting down in a chair and watching Umeko with her big, dark-brown eyes.

Umeko bit her lip, debating. She gave a small sigh. "Okay…since you're so insistent on an explanation, I'll give it to you."

"Akihiko-kun, you don't really have to. Suki can be a bit pushy sometimes."

"No, it's alright. I don't think you guys will rat me out. Anyway, my name is Kozue Umeko. My cousin Robertson Akihiko is supposed to be here, but he ran off with his girlfriend, so I'm simply here in his place to go to school and not let my aunt and uncle's money go to waste."

"Totally and completely a manga plot," Suki muttered to Makoto. "We'd better take notes so we can make a manga out of this and earn ourselves some money in the future."

"True, true," Makoto replied. "But you could've at least registered as a girl," he pointed out, finally dropping his manga and entering the main conversation without missing a beat.

"I know," Umeko agreed, settling down in another chair. "But my mom's lame explanation was that it'd already been registered as a boy and to suddenly change the gender would've been way awkward."

"But couldn't they have just registered you in place of your cousin rather than have you take his place?" Hisano asked, sitting cross-legged on the sofa.

"…I never thought of that. My parents could've called up the school and fixed it in just five minutes, I bet. Why didn't I think of that? Then I wouldn't have to pretend to be a boy! Damn!"

"Well, think about it this way: at least you make a very convincing boy…to the untrained eye, that is," Suki chirped from beside Hisano.

"Thanks," Umeko replied dryly.

"Oh, no! I just meant that you're androgynous. By simply having longer hair, you look super girly, and with shorter hair, you look more boyish. It's pretty convenient. I'm jealous, to be completely honest."

Umeko didn't know how to reply. These were quite a bunch of characters. She couldn't wait to find out what Kazuki was like.

"Ah, Kazuki-kun." Speak of the devil. "This is our newest member, Umeko-chan."

"Nice to meet you," he smiled pleasantly, a bunch of papers underneath his arm

"Same here," Umeko replied. There was something familiar about him. She just couldn't place it. Suddenly…suddenly the name, "Minowa Haruki!" left her mouth.

His smile remained as he stated, "He is my cousin, yes."

"Hey, he wouldn't be a part of this club at all, would he?" Umeko asked apprehensively, peering around the library.

"Not as far as I know. He was always into sports and the like."

"Thank Kami-sama," Umeko muttered.

Sudden thunderous booming echoed through the library.

"Sounds like we've got a desperate," Hisano commented, her head tilted toward a large pair of glass doors which led outside to the gardens.

"Thunderstorm, actually," Hiroshi replied, pointing up through the glass windows at the flash of lightening and torrential pouring of rain.

"No, listen," Suki murmured, standing up. Everyone looked over and watched her. "Your stares are a little unnerving," she commented, reaching for the door handle. She twisted it and stepped back as a soaked form stumbled into the room.

The person quickly shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks."

Umeko froze and issued a long string of curses followed by a huge groan. Why couldn't the dramatic manga moments be saved for manga? Her unhappiness only doubled when said person stood straight, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Minowa," she grumbled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking that. You're on my turf. There's no way you can join this club!"

"I'm not joining, cross-dresser! I'm hiding from a psychotic stalker! Not that you have much experience since you're a damned tomboy-ish cross-dresser!"

"Am not, you arrogant egg-head!"

"People can't join, much less come in, unless they pass a couple tests. Isn't that right, Hiroshi?" Kazuki interrupted, setting his papers at a desk. He gracefully sat down and began writing, without so much as a second look at his cousin.

"Yes," Hiroshi answered. He turned to Haruki. "I'm sorry," he gave a small bow, "but I unfortunately have to kick you out. Please excuse my rudeness."

"No, wait!" Haruki protested as Hiroshi began to usher him out. "You have to let me stay! Kazuki, help me! Come on! Do you really want to throw your cousin to the dogs?!"

"Yes," Umeko replied cheerfully, waving good-bye.

"Wait, fine! I'll join! Just don't throw me out! This is the first time I've been able to lose her!"

"Fine," Hiroshi stopped. "Answer this question: what was the first anime series in Japan?"

Haruki thought for a few seconds before snapping his fingers and shouting gleefully, "Astroboy!"

Umeko's smile dropped. There was no way this prick was going to invade her sanctuary.

"What year was it first aired?!" She demanded, stomping over to the two boys.

"Hiroshi's the only one who can ask questions," Makoto spoke up, turning a page in his book.

"Damn," Umeko cursed under breath. "What about the other test?" She asked desperately, looking for another way to kick him out.

"Well, considering both of you still have your tests, how about this: you both have to compete in the random University Couple contest, which starts tomorrow. The thing that sucks, though, is that you guys might not get matched up. You'll just have to deal with whoever you get. Whichever one of you gets first can enter the club. The other person will have to find some other way to enter-impress us. Okay?"

"Fine with me," Umeko agreed. Haruki shrugged.

"Good, we're all in agreement. See you tomorrow."

And they were enthusiastically ushered out by Suki. She shut the door behind them.

"Haruki!" They heard again.

"Shit," Haruki murmured under his breath. He jumped the stairs and began sprinting. As he ran, he felt very stupid. Entering the club hadn't saved him at all. Those heartless fiends had thrown him out anyway! He was going to win that damned contest if it was the last thing he did. He would sabotage his cousin's precious little club if it killed him!

Umeko looked in the opposite direction and made out a whole mob of girls carrying flashlights and other undesirables. She mimicked Haruki's actions, following him into the woods.

**

* * *

**

Sakura glanced at the clock. It read 9:30.

"Bye," she said, grabbing her bag. She slipped on a pair of high tops and ran out the door.

When she made it to the University, she immediately found the trailers. Everyone she passed was either whispering to each other or silent as the grave.

"Hinata-chan, what's wrong?" Sakura whispered nervously when she saw her friend in the commons. Hinata fiddled with her fingers, unsure of how to answer.

The mini TV was on. Sakura went to turn it off when the scene caught her attention. She turned up the volume.

"Discovered just this morning, the assassination of the entire Uchiha clan, save for the heirs Uchiha Sasuke-sama and Uchiha Itachi-sama. This is truly a befuddling and horrible phenomenon that is under deep investigation. How will the Uchiha heirs deal? Will Uchiha Sasuke-sama be able to continue his acting career? Will Uchiha Itachi-sama take over the family businesses without an heir of his own? Only time will tell. However, Uchiha Sasuke-sama and Uchiha Itachi-sama, we feel your loss."

Sakura turned off the TV and stared at it in disbelief.

"The entire Uchiha clan…assassinated in one night…?"


End file.
